Sir Alex Ferguson singles out one Chelsea player who 'annoyed' him; 'I man-marked him'

Despite dominating the English Premier League as a manager for over two decades, legendary Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the name of a player who he hated his team playing against. The Scot has heaped praise on legendary Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola for his personality and skills.

Sir Alex Ferguson lauds Gianfranco Zola

While speaking in an interaction with The Mirror, Sir Alex Ferguson said, "Now, little Zola, he annoyed me. He was one of those players who was unperturbed about who he was playing against. He always seemed to have a smile on his face and that annoyed me. I said, 'How can he be enjoying himself playing against United? Nobody else does.'

Zola made 310 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 78 goals and providing 23 assists. Even though Manchester United dominated the Premier League during the time the Italian played at Stamford Bridge, Zola was one of the few players in other teams who managed to shine. And with Ferguson crediting Zola despite the 56-year-old only managing to score three goals from 19 appearances against the Red Devils, it only highlights the worth of the Italian in the Chelsea side.

Speaking of Zola, Ferguson added, "He was fantastic. Talented. Beautiful balance. Brave. I remember we played Chelsea in the FA Cup a couple of years ago in the treble. We got them in the early rounds and we drew 0-0 at Old Trafford and I man-marked him. That’s how much respect I had for him. But he was a fantastic player. I loved watching him. He was enjoyable. That was the thing, for me to say that of an opponent tells you how much I admire them."

Gianfranco Zola's career

After spending the initial part of his senior career in Nuorese and Torres, Gianfranco Zola's major breakthrough came when he joined Napoli in 1989. The Italian helped Napoli win the Serie A title in his very second season at the club and spent four years in Naples until he moved to Parma in 1993. While he had a relatively subdued time at Parma in terms of titles, he had an outstanding stint at Chelsea from 1996 to 2003. Zola won two FA Cups, and one Football League Cup, among other trophies. He eventually hung his boots in 2005.