Ryder Cup 2025: Why is a Premier League football legend on Team Europe?!

Premier League football legend Gianfranco Zola is playing an unexpected key role on Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage this week. 

Zola, 59, has been called up by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, and specifically vice-captain Francesco Molinari, to help get his fellow Italian around the course in New York. 

The former Chelsea and Italy attacker is acting as Molinari's designated buggy driver at the Ryder Cup.

Molinari, who won the 2018 Open, is one of Donald's five vice captains that also comprises Francesco's brother Edoardo, recent British Masters and BMW PGA champion Alex Noren, 2018 Ryder Cup winning captain Thomas Bjorn and two-time Masters winner and Ryder Cup legend Jose Maria Olazabal. 

Zola jumped into the driving seat as early as Tuesday's practice round at Bethpage. 

He was also seen posing for snaps in Team Europe's official photo ahead of their biennial dust-up against Keegan Bradley's Team USA.

Zola is an avid golf fan and is said to play off a 4-handicap. 

Zola played for a number of clubs during his professional football career, or soccer as you guys and girls wrongly like to call it over in the States..

But he is best remembered for his time at Premier League club, Chelsea.

Zola made 229 appearances for the blues and scored 59 goals from 1996 to 2003. 

He then finished his pro career at Cagliari, scoring 22 goals in 74 appearances through to 2005. 

Zola then took up managerial duties at a number of clubs, including West Ham United, Watford, Cagliari, Al-Arabi and Birmingham City.

His last management role in football was assistant coach of Chelsea from 2018 to 2019.