Zaccarelli was a traditional advanced playmaker, who was elegant, practical and a consistent performer in midfield. Towards the end of his career he was moved back on the pitch and reinvented himself as a libero, almost as an additional midfielder. In this role he lived a second youth, to the point he was awarded the "Guerin d'Oro" in 1986 as the best footballer of the 1985–86 season.