Zambra, from Galtymore Road, was a promising football player, and also had a fledgling music career.
However, last night, a source who spent years investigating the hood told the Herald: "People were afraid of Zambra and with just cause – he was volatile and extremely dangerous.
"He was obsessively jealous in relation to his women and the drugs patch he ran. He was an extremely active criminal with many enemies and many dangerous associates."
From his earliest court cases there are mentions of Zambra's sporting abilities.
In 1998, when he was jailed for four years for being getaway driver during an attempted robbery in 1995, the court heard he was a former youth soccer international who had taken up coaching kids in the sport.
His defence solicitor told the court Zambra's soccer ambition to represent Ireland at senior level had been cut short by a serious ankle injury and before that he had been given a trial by a top English club.
He became involved with a bad crowd who would later form the nucleus of the mob which was led by convicted murderer Brian Rattigan.
DRUGS
In 2010 Zambra's involvement in gangland crime led him to being charged with the murder of suspected drugs trafficker John Carroll who was shot dead in Grumpy Jack's pub in the Coombe area of Dublin 8 on February
18, 2009.
Drug dealer-turned State witness, Joey O'Brien, gave evidence in the case. He said Zambra chose the gunman and the motorbike rider who brought that gunman to and from the scene.
After the murder, O'Brien said he met Zambra, who was "happy" that "it was done".
One of the gang, Peter Kenny of McCarthy's Terrace in Rialto, was convicted for his role in the murder, but the jury could not reach a verdict on Zambra.
Last year he was tried again, but here was uproar in the Central Criminal Court as Zambra was acquitted by a majority verdict following a two-month trial.
Zambra was also known to be a close friend of the north Dublin gangster known as 'Mr Big', and he had explored his musical talents on website christopherzambra.com.
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A major gangland figure has been shot dead in broad daylight.
The man, Christopher Zambra, was shot in an ambush attack in Dublin's Drimnagh this afternoon.
The victim, who is in his 30s, was targeted just before 3pm as he drove along Cooley Road in the south of the city.
He tried to flee his attackers, but was gunned down in a garden a short distance away.
The man is known to gardai.
At the scene today a light-coloured Audi car with a 02 CW registration plate could be seen parked at the side of Cooley Road with the passenger door open.
The reverse lights were on, indicating that the victim made some attempt to drive away from his attackers when he saw them approach.
There are five bullet holes in the windscreen of the car, and the window on the driver's side has been shot out, leaving glass scattered on the road.
A garda forensic tent has been erected over the victim's body in the front garden of a house two doors away from the car.
Gardai believe the victim tried to flee for his life on foot but was chased down and killed in the garden of the house at the junction of Cooley Road and Kilworth Road.
Spent shells from the murder weapon, that appear to me 9mm calibre, could also be seen scattered on the road in front of the Audi car.
People could be seen arriving in tears at the house just beside the car and being comforted by the occupants.
The victim is from the Drimnagh locality.
Gardai sealed off the scene and started house-to-house enquiries while members of the technical bureau carried out a forensic examination on the scene.
A jeep, believed to be the getaway vehicle, was found burned out on nearby Galtymore Road.
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