Gianfranco Zola was in attendance for Cagliari’s 2-1 victory over Bologna on Sunday, watching the game alongside Fabrizio Maiello, a man who was part of a group who had attempted to kidnap the former Chelsea man 30 years ago.
The story dates back to 1994, one year into Zola’s spell with Parma and a few months after Italy’s run to the World Cup final in the United States.
As told by La Gazzetta dello Sport in August, a small gang of criminals had planned to follow Zola after a Parma training session, rear-end his car so he would have to stop and then take him away in another vehicle to a country house where they would hold him for ransom.
And so, a convoy of four or five individuals followed Zola onto the streets, but their plans stalled when the then-28-year-old pulled into a petrol station on his journey home.
According to Maiello’s retelling of the story, Zola had practically talked his way out of a potentially life-changing situation.
Two men had approached Zola while he was refuelling. Zola, a recognised star of the national team and in Serie A, made a gesture with his hands and asked if the two men would like a signature.
According to the widely reported version of events, the two individuals were Napoli supporters and were said to be taken aback when one of their former star players was stood just a few yards in front of them.
Maiello claims that he accepted Zola’s offer. After rushing to find a pen from the dashboard of his car, Zola then proceeded to sign Maiello’s ID card, or so he says. And, the indications are that the signature on Maiello’s ID is authentic.
At this point, the attempted kidnapping was effectively called off and after a short conversation, Zola got in his car and drove home.
Maiello, who was technically a fugitive at the time, was keen to avoid making too much of a scene according to the story, and also proceeded to drive away.
According to more recent updates, Maiello has left his criminal past behind him and is now involved in education programmes in schools and other institutions across Italy, telling his story in an attempt to persuade others against following his example.
On Sunday, Zola and Maiello were able to meet for Cagliari’s game against Bologna in Sardinia. They embraced in a hug and Maiello, who had been hoping to do so for many years, was able to offer his apologies.