Former Italy and Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola on Thursday backed FIFA chief Sepp Blatter's plan to curb the number of foreign players in soccer teams.
''Having so many foreign players doesn't help home-grown players,'' Zola said.
''When I was at Napoli there were players like Maradona and Careca. You could learn a lot from them, even if you had to fight for a place.
''Now, with seven or eight foreigners in the squad, it's much harder. I believe the introduction of a limit would be right, especially for young players''.
Blatter's plan, which could come into force from the 2011-12 season, is to restrict the number of foreign players on the field at one time to just five.
That would mean at least six players on the field would be from the home country.
Zola said this would help young talent develop and boost the pool from which national coaches pick their own squads.
''It seems the only thing that counts these days is money,'' Zola added.
''I understand clubs' needs but you have to find the right balance,'' he said.
In England's Premiership less than 40% of players are English and the figure in Italy is similar.
Many Serie A teams regularly field teams with more foreigners than Italians.
The extreme example is champions and leaders Inter which sometimes has no Italians on the field at all.
