Zola’s Blues career was littered with moments of indelible, extraordinary brilliance. The maiden free-kick against Everton. Turning Julian Dicks inside and out. The flick and finish against Wimbledon in the Cup semi, and the flicked assist in the final that followed. The winner in Stockholm. The unfathomable volley against Norwich. The last goal, like the first, a work of art in a home win over Everton.

At the time, the summer of 2003, Chelsea fans hoped that lob over Richard Wright into the Matthew Harding Stand net would not be the last goal they saw Zola score. His contract was running down, though, and with Chelsea in financial difficulty, we could not offer him suitable terms for a new one.

Zola promised to make a decision on his future by the end of June. When the time came, he opted to fulfil a long-held promise to finish his playing career at his hometown club Cagliari. Chelsea’s situation changed overnight when Roman Abramovich bought the club, and though efforts were made to lure Zola back, he was true to his word, typical of the gentleman he was.

Five days after his departure from Chelsea was confirmed, Zola bid farewell to English football by conducting a media conference. The Stamford Bridge press room was ‘as packed as any before a major cup match’, with big name journalists rubbing shoulders with TV crews from the UK and Italy.

Zola was humble, wise, witty and emotional. He discussed his Chelsea career, the passion for the fans, the negotiations over his future and why he decided to return home to Sardinia after nearly seven glorious years in SW6.

The first question was, quite simply, how could he leave for Cagliari?

‘More than anything else it is a choice of life,’ Franco began. ‘I want to try a new experience. I want to go back where I started and put myself in discussion again.

‘I’m going to a place where everyone’s going to be very demanding with me. It makes me feel alive. It’s my reputation going in and it feels very good after many years that I achieved something, that I put everything on the plate again and I like the challenge. I feel I can do something for the people that in the first place supported me and I like the idea. Maybe I can squeeze something more from my old body!’

‘But I feel bad, really,’ he continued, confirming that he received a ‘better offer’ on July 2 – ‘that made me have a bad couple of hours.’

If he could have agreed a deal back in June he would have been training at Harlington instead of talking to the press.

‘I feel sad. Chelsea is a place where probably I received most satisfaction of all. The place that made Zola probably so important football wise. It’s the place where I received everything I was dreaming of when I first started playing football. I’m not going to have that anywhere else, that’s for sure.

‘Even the best things have to have an end, so I’m delighted because my last year I’ve given satisfaction to my supporters and I’ve received satisfaction from them.’

Zola’s final season was one of his very best, a key part in our fourth-placed finish that earned Chelsea Champions League football and changed the direction of the club. He was quizzed over the late offer from Chelsea that might have turned the head of a less honourable man.

‘It’s been painful to decide to leave and it’s going to be painful in the next months, no doubt about that,’ he admitted. ‘Although I had offers, I wasn’t thinking of leaving Chelsea. I put all the offers on standby. Unfortunately, Chelsea was going through a bad situation and we couldn’t find agreement, so the thing has gone on and on until July 1.

‘At that ,moment I had to do something. I couldn’t keep the people waiting for me — it would have been disrespectful towards them.

‘And so I decide to go. No blame for Chelsea at all. Chelsea was going through a bad situation, problems more important than renewing my contract. So absolutely I have no reason to say anything against this club that has been so important for me and for my family. I will have always good memories about it.’

Would he miss the Champions League?

‘It’s certainly a very attractive thing,’ smiled Franco. ‘Playing Champions League is always a great deal. But I made a choice. I know what I’m losing, but I’m doing it for precise reasons, and there will be other things that will compensate. It’s about doing something you believe is right. That’s as important as playing Champions League.

‘Playing for this club, it’s the same playing Champions League or Premier League. I love playing for this club. Champions League wasn’t the thing that could have changed things around.’

He then turned his attention to his memories of a sensational Chelsea career that began in November 1996. After 312 appearances, 80 goals, 108 assists, 14 free-kicks scored, a Footballer of the Year award, medals from a brace of FA Cups, the League Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Charity Shield — and Chelsea Player of the Year 2003 — his mementoes were typical humanitarian.

‘One of the best moments was when we first won the FA Cup,’ he said. ‘I always said it was something special and I stick to it. Winning at Wembley, but above all the day after when they put us on a bus and I went along the King's Road and I found so many people outside. That was something incredible. I was fascinated by that.

‘Also, I want to remark when we lost to Arsenal [in 2002] and we came back and there were still supporters there, maybe not as many, but still there cheering us up. That shows a great deal of respect for sportsmanship. For me that has always been important. I was impressed.

‘Worst? I had a few bad moments. Last year when we lost against Arsenal. When we got knocked out in the Champions League in Barcelona. I thought my god, we could have done better than we did. They were sad. I’m pleased to say that the good moments cover the bad ones.’

Onto those who had contributed most to the success of his stay, and Franco sounded like an Oscar winner, thanking firstly Colin Hutchinson, our former managing director.

‘There was a moment three or four years ago when I was going to leave for Naples and he was the one who said in that moment who said, ‘No, you must stay.’ And in the end it’s been very good.’

Then he showed his appreciation for Ruud Gullit (‘the first one who brought me here’), chairman Ken Bates (‘who paid the money’), and especially all the players and staff.

An Italian environment for his Londoner children was, of course, one of the draws of Cagliari to Zola. But he was aware of what he was leaving behind in the capital.

‘I will miss the friends I’ve made all these years,’ he said. ‘Even the food. The food is good now! I will miss the everyday life.

‘This is the place I’ve been the longest. I like the culture, I enjoyed it very much. And my children will miss it’

Then he paused, reflected, and added: ‘I will miss something else connected with the football: the way the people live football in such an educated way, the way they prepare, after the game. Not giving too much importance to the bad aspects of the game. As a sportsman, you like these things.’

Thinking about his rapport with the fans made him smile. ‘It’s been great,’ he said. ‘They gave me everything I was looking for. They made me feel a very, very important player. Even when I wasn’t playing very well. And that is something.

‘I felt special since day one here. That is really supporting the players. As a player, you receive an extra boost. If I was playing somewhere else I’m sure I wouldn’t still be playing at 37.’

And then it was over. The Zola era. So many memories to treasure from a player the like of which Chelsea had never had before. He was, and always will be, ours.