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Fans Stunned as Premier League Legend Agrees to Be Ryder Cup Buggy Driver

Home> Football> Premier League

Updated 16:04 24 Sep 2025 GMT+1Published 16:02 24 Sep 2025 GMT+1

Fans Stunned as Premier League Legend Agrees to Be Ryder Cup Buggy Driver

The Premier League icon is returning to competitive sport in a totally different role.

Ben McCrum

Ben McCrum

Premier League fans cannot believe the former legend that will be working at the Ryder Cup as a player's buggy driver.

In just a couple of the days perhaps the biggest event in golf will tee off as the best players across Europe and the USA compete in the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Team USA, captained by Keegan Bradley, will be represented by the likes of world number one Scottie Scheffler and the popular Bryson DeChambeau, while Team Europe, captained by Luke Donald, boasts players like Rory McIlroy and England's Tommy Fleetwood.

Several of the biggest sports stars in the world are expected to watch the biennial competition, including NBA great Michael Jordan and Real Madrid and Spurs legend Gareth Bale.

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But there's one Premier League legend who will be closer than anyone else as he will be working at the event as a golf buggy driver.

Gareth Bale represented team Europe as they won the All-Star Match before the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Image: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Gareth Bale represented team Europe as they won the All-Star Match before the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Image: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Having spent years as one of best players in the world, Francesco Molinari will be working at the Ryder Cup as one of Team Europe's vice-captains.

But the Italian won't be attending the competition on his own, as Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola will accompany him as Molinari's designated buggy driver this week at the Bethpage Black Golf Course in Long Island, New York.

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Zola, who is also a keen golfer, has struck up a friendship with his countryman and was therefore invited to join Donald's backroom team.

Reacting to the news, one fan wrote on X: "Zola driving Molinari's buggy is a crossover I didn't know I needed. Cool to see legends from different sports connect."

While another added: "From football to golf buggies - legends never really retire, they just find new ways to stay in the game."

Gianfranco Zola is working with Europe vice-captain Francesco Molinari at the 2025 Ryder Cup. (Image: Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Gianfranco Zola is working with Europe vice-captain Francesco Molinari at the 2025 Ryder Cup. (Image: Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Gianfranco Zola reveals what he has said to Team Europe ahead of the Ryder Cup

Although Zola's primary role is to drive Molinari across the New York course, he has also been able to pass on some advice to the players representing Europe in the competition.

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The FA Cup winner used his experience playing football, a much more hostile sport, at the highest level to advise Team Europe on how to deal with the more confrontational crowds expected at the Ryder Cup.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Zola explained: "First of all you have to be able to enter in a kind of protection bubble.

"This is one of the first things you need to learn when you play football because the environment is like that.

"So you need to use it to your advantage, you have to get motivated by that and you can work it out.

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"From what I see, they look so easy so it shouldn't be a problem."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Ryder Cup, Golf, Premier League, Chelsea, Football, Italy

Ben McCrum
Ben McCrum

Ben is a sports journalist who specialises in football and MMA. He has written for publications such as Manchester Evening News, WiganToday, Manchester World and beIN Sports. Throughout his career he has interviewed top athletes in MMA including Tom Aspinall and Michael Bisping.

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@benmcc14

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