Chelsea legend Zola lands surprise Ryder Cup role with Team Europe

Team Europe have added a surprise ally for the Ryder Cup 2025, enlisting former Premier League star Gianfranco Zola to assist as part of the European squad. The Chelsea legend has earned a spot on Team Europe and will serve as the designated buggy driver for vice-captain Francesco Molinari as the competition heads to Bethpage Black on Long Island. The 2025 Ryder Cup, scheduled to begin on Friday, will be played at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in New York, where Europe will attempt to retain the title it won two years earlier in Italy.

Zola’s inclusion follows a longtime friendship with Molinari, with the pair reportedly practicing together and developing a rapport that organizers hope can help ease pressure on players amid hostile US crowds. Zola this week explained to Sky Sports that a core part of competing under such scrutiny is cultivating a protective mental space: "First of all, you have to absolutely be able to enter into a kind of protection bubble. This is one of the first things you need to learn if you play football, because sometimes the environment can be like that [against you]. So you have to use it to your advantage and you have to get motivated by that."

Zola, 42, enjoyed a storied playing career with Chelsea, where he made 312 appearances and won the Premier League twice and the FA Cup. He later featured for Napoli and the Italy national team and, while golf is a passion, the former attacker has been building his involvement in the sport, often playing in Pro-Am events and earning a single-figure handicap. He will serve as Molinari’s designated buggy driver, a role European officials say is intended to help the vice-captain navigate the course while benefitting from Zola’s competitive mindset.

Luke Donald, the Team Europe captain, will shoulder the responsibility of leading the defense with Molinari acting as a key figure among the European squad. Europe won the Ryder Cup in 2023, defeating the United States in a dramatic battle in Italy; the 2025 edition marks another close contest, this time on American soil. The United States, led by Keegan Bradley, will be trying to overturn the European advantage on home turf as the two sides square off at Bethpage Black over three days of play. The competition begins Friday and runs through the weekend, with crowds expected to be vocal and partisan in New York.

Officials say Zola’s arrival reflects a broader approach in recent Ryder Cups to blend sport and broader performance psychology, leveraging friendships and cross-code experiences to support players facing pressure. While he will not compete for Europe in the traditional sense, his presence is being framed as an additional help for morale, focus and concentration as the team attempts to convert the crowd into a motivating factor rather than a distraction.

With the first tee shots set to echo across Bethpage this week, Team Europe will rely on a mix of youth and experience — and a Chelsea legend there to offer personal guidance away from the fairways. The Ryder Cup remains the pinnacle of team golf, a three-day test of nerves and teamwork as Europe seeks back-to-back triumphs on foreign soil.