Zola: True entertainer (GrahamChadwick/Allsport)

Stamford Bridge on Wednesday was such an occasion. Again I was present when a virtuoso moment turned an ordinary FA Cup replay into a memory that will not fade.

The truly great players are more often than not the ones who score the unforgettable goals and in the twilight of his glittering career Gianfranco Zola, who has brought enchantment to Chelsea, gave us an illustrious postscript.

Reminiscent of Jimmy Greaves, another genius from a different generation who performed on the Chelsea pitch, Zola was unable to explain how he scored the third goal in Chelsea's third-round FA Cup replay victory over Norwich City.

He talked modestly of crossed legs because of a left-foot weakness, but the truth is his back-heel flick was the work of a man who has persevered in his pursuit of the unconventional.

Among overseas players who have joined the Premiership, the man his manager Claudio Ranieri described as a 'wizard' stands alone.

The 35-year-old with the broad smile arrived at Chelsea in November 1997 and has established himself as one of the club's favourite stars, with his versatility and sheer joy at playing the game.

Zola is conscious, above all, of his need to please the public. He says: 'Of course you have to try to feed the supporters with victories and trophies but it is my duty also to be an entertainer. Football is not just a sport but an entertainment.

'In the past I have played for teams who have lost games but pleased the crowd and they have been as happy as if the side had won the match. Football has to be enjoyable for the fans.'

Zola has started in 11 Premiership matches this season and come on as a substitute in a further nine. But Ranieri knows there will be few complaints.

The manager said: 'Gianfranco is very intelligent. He has been suffering from being on the bench but he knows he is a very important player for me and for Chelsea.

'He is important for his team-mates, one of my captains in the dressing room. I wanted him to be here this season and I will want him here next season, too, because he is a fantastic man and a fantastic player.'

Zola's contract, signed last May, binds him to the club until the end of the 2002-3 season but he may extend his time at the Bridge by taking a coaching role, certainly if Ranieri stays as coach, because of his love affair with the country as well as club.

'He is a good professional. He is meticulous in everything he does,' added Ranieri, who chose Zola as Maradona's replacement at Naples.

Ranieri sees similarities, not in the pair's off-field conduct, but in the extravagance of their football.

'Zola is always like Maradona. He will make a wall in training and shoot and shoot and shoot.'

If the Professional Footballers Association is dispatching ambassadors such as Tony Adams to preach to their members about the perils of alcohol, perhaps they should invite Zola to do the rounds as an example of dedication and good public relations. He has, it seems, no enemies.

Ranieri said: 'As long as I stay at this club, all the doors will always be open to him.'