Zaccarelli, Renato (Ancona, 18/1/51)
A great servant to Torino and, on occasions, Italy. He was solid as a rock in the heart of the Granata defence through most of the 1970s and part of their last League title winning side. In a lengthy career he picked up more than 300 Serie A appearances for the Turin club before hanging up his boots in 1987.
Zaccheroni, Alberto (Meldola, 1/3/53)
After establishing his reputation with Udinese the Coach switched to Milan in 1998 and delivered the Scudetto in his first season. He never quite repeated that success with his 3-4-3 formation and his profile dipped at Lazio and then Inter.
Zambrotta, Gianluca (Como, 19/2/77)
He set with his hometown club before moving closer to the limelight with Bari. That convinced Juve of his abilities and they brought him to Turin in 1999. He never looked back, winning a plethora of honours and becoming a regular in the national team. Can play in midfield or defence and on either flank, making him a pacy and versatile addition to any squad.
Zanetti, Cristiano (Carrara, 10/4/77)
A battling midfielder who began his playing days with Fiorentina, he has given his best service at Inter. Also enjoyed a Scudetto season at Roma in 2001 and has flitted in and out of the national team, giving solid if unspectacular service.
Zanetti, Javier (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 10/8/73)
In an era where Inter have known little success by their own high standards and have revolutionised their team countless times, he remains the one constant. An impeccable professional, he can play across the midfield but has slotted in at full-back to classy effect. His never-ending energy, tactical sense and leadership qualities have made him indispensable to Inter over 11 seasons so far.
Zenga, Walter (Milan, 28/4/60)
An Inter star between 1982 and 1994, he was also the goalkeeper during Italy’s attempts to win the World Cup on home soil in 1990. Occasionally prone to flapping at crosses, he was nonetheless a dependable ‘keeper for 20 years before moving into management.
Zico (Rio de Janeiro, 3/3/53)
A Brazilian footballing legend who played three surprising seasons with Udinese in the 1980s. He was able to stand comparison with Diego Maradona and Michel Platini and brought huge crowds to the Friuli, but ultimately couldn’t quite lift his lowly team high enough.
Zidane, Zinedine (Marseille, France, 23/6/72)
Over five seasons between 1996 and 2001 he was inspirational at Juventus and picked up plenty of trophies, as well as helping his country win the World Cup and European Championships. His vision and dribbling skills made him one of the most exciting players to watch in Serie A. It was something of a surprise when the Bianconeri decided to let him go, but the £48m offer from Real Madrid was enormous and – in time – it looks like Zizou’s skills have started to slide and it may have been a good bit of business.
Zoff, Dino (Mariano del Friuli, 28/2/42)
One of the true giants of the Italian game, he appeared for Udinese and Mantova before moving south to Napoli in 1968 and really starting to make his name. In the same year he helped Italy win the European Championships at the start of an epic international career. Moved to Juve in the early 1970s, where he went on to win half a dozen Scudetti and the UEFA Cup, but his crowning glory came at the age of 40 when he lifted the World Cup with his country in Spain. He also set an international goalkeeping record of 1,142 minutes without conceding a goal in the 1970s. As a Coach he was harshly treated by both Juventus and his country, as well as having spells at the helm of Lazio and Fiorentina.
Zola, Gianfranco (Oliena, 5/7/66)
The heir to Diego Maradona at Napoli, he took up the role in great style with amazing dribbling and fantastic free-kicks. After four good seasons with Parma he switched to the Premiership, where he became a Chelsea hero and rated by many as their greatest player of all time. Finished his playing days back in his native Sardinia with Cagliari, helping them back to Serie A. His international career was never quite what it should have been and his greatest regret is probably not being picked ahead of the injury-carrying Roberto Baggio in the Final of USA ’94.
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