 Maresca in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Enzo Maresca[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-02-10)10 February 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chelsea (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1994 | AC Milan | ||
| 1994–1998 | Cagliari | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | West Bromwich Albion | 47 | (5) |
| 2000–2004 | Juventus | 37 | (4) |
| 2000–2001 | →Bologna (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | →Piacenza (loan) | 31 | (9) |
| 2004–2005 | Fiorentina | 25 | (5) |
| 2005–2009 | Sevilla | 96 | (13) |
| 2009–2010 | Olympiacos | 24 | (5) |
| 2011–2012 | Málaga | 39 | (4) |
| 2012–2014 | Sampdoria | 17 | (3) |
| 2014–2016 | Palermo | 47 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | Hellas Verona | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 394 | (49) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995 | Italy U15 | 5 | (0) |
| 1995 | Italy U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 1998 | Italy U17 | 1 | (1) |
| 1998–1999 | Italy U18 | 12 | (4) |
| 1999–2000 | Italy U20 | 11 | (6) |
| 2000–2002 | Italy U21 | 15 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2017 | Ascoli (assistant) | ||
| 2017–2018 | Sevilla (assistant) | ||
| 2018–2019 | West Ham United (assistant) | ||
| 2020–2021 | Manchester City U23 | ||
| 2021 | Parma | ||
| 2022–2023 | Manchester City (assistant) | ||
| 2023–2024 | Leicester City | ||
| 2024– | Chelsea | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Enzo Maresca (born 10 February 1980) is an Italian professionalfootball manager and formerplayer. He is the head coach ofPremier League clubChelsea.
After starting out atWest Bromwich Albion in 1998, he went on to play for several clubs in his country, includingJuventus, who loaned him twice for the duration of his contract and with whom he won the league title in 2002. After being released in 2004, he went to play one season withFiorentina. He then resumed his career inLa Liga withSevilla (where he remained for four years) andMálaga, appearing in 134 games and scoring 17 goals in the competition after winning five major titles with Sevilla. In between his two spells in Spain, he also spent one year in Greece withOlympiacos. In 2012, he returned to Italy, where he played until his retirement in 2017, totalling 140 appearances and 17 goals inSerie A.
Maresca represented Italy at youth level, including theItaly under-21 team, but was never capped at senior level.
Upon his retirement, Maresca served as an assistant manager atAscoli under Fulvio Fiorin for the2017–18 Serie B season, and subsequently served as manager of theManchester City U23 side, leading the team to the 2020–21Premier League 2 title. He began his professional managerial career with ItalianSerie B sideParma in 2021, but was sacked later that year. He then returned to English sideManchester City in 2022, serving as an assistant manager under managerPep Guardiola. He later managedLeicester City during2023–24 season, leading the club to theEFL Championship, and earning promotion to the Premier League. The following season, he joined Chelsea, leading them to the2024–25 UEFA Conference League title, his second trophy as a manager, also finishing fourth in the league and qualifying for the Champions League. His third trophy as a manager came when he led Chelsea to the2025 FIFA Club World Cup title.
Born inPontecagnano Faiano, Province of Salerno, Maresca started playing football at the age of 11 withA.C. Milan and joinedCagliari after three years.[citation needed]
Maresca began his professional career with English clubWest Bromwich Albion, despite having "no grasp of the English language".[3] He made his debut in a 2–0 home defeat againstBradford City on 20 September 1998, and played two incomplete seasons with the English club in theFootball League First Division.[4]
In January 2000, Maresca moved back to Italy and joinedJuventus in atransfer worth£4.3 million, a club-record sale for Albion at the time.[5] He played in oneSerie A game before the end ofthe season.
For two of the following three seasons, Maresca was loaned to fellow league teamsBologna andPiacenza—aco-ownership deal in the latter case—scoring nine goals in the2002–03 season but suffering team relegation. Duringthe previous campaign, he notably netted an important equaliser in theDerby della Mole return leg, against neighbouringTorino; he attracted controversy, however, when he celebrated the goal by mimicking Torino'sMarco Ferrante's earlier "bull-horn"goal celebration (the bull being a club symbol as it isTurin's coat of arms, and the side also being known in its contracted form as "Toro", bull in Italian).[6] Juventus subsequently bought the remaining 50% of his rights for€2.6 million.[7]
In the summer of 2004,Fiorentina signed Maresca along withFabrizio Miccoli andGiorgio Chiellini for €13 million, with Juventus holding half of the players' rights. He made his official debut on 12 September, playing 60 minutes in a 0–1 away defeat toRoma.
At the end ofthe season, with theViola narrowly avoiding top level relegation, Juventus bought back all three for around €6.7 million in a blind auction between the clubs.[8] Maresca's cost was of only about €7,000,[9] but an additional €420,000 agent fee in order to keep the player was also involved.
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On 16 July 2005, Maresca transferred toSevilla for a fee of €2.5 million on a four-year contract.[10] Inhis first season inLa Liga, he played 29 games and scored eight goals. He played eleven games and scored three goals in the side'svictorious campaign in theUEFA Cup. This included scoring twice inthe final againstMiddlesbrough (4–0), in which he was also namedman of the match.[11] Maresca donated €10,000 prize money to the San Juan de Dios hospital inSeville.[12] He scored a latepenalty, after coming off the bench, to seal a 3–0 win overBarcelona in2006 UEFA Super Cup.[13]
Maresca played 45 minutes in the2007 UEFA Cup final atHampden Park, as Sevilla successfully defended its European title againstEspanyol.[14] He appeared in an average of 22 league matches in his last three years combined.
On 13 July 2009, Maresca transferred to Greek clubOlympiacos in a three-year deal.[15] He scored in hisSuperleague debut, a 2–0 win atAEL, and appeared regularly during the2009–10 campaign as thePiraeus-based club finished in second position.
After terminating his contract with Olympiacos in August 2010, Maresca trained with former club Fiorentina in order to maintain match fitness. On 7 December, it was announced that he had been in talks withMálaga; after undergoing a medical examination, he signed with theAndalusians until June 2012.[16] Maresca made his league debut for his new team on 8 January 2011, playing 57 minutes in a 1–1 home draw againstAthletic Bilbao.[17] On 7 May, he contributed with one goal to the team's 3–0 success atAtlético Madrid.[18]
Maresca appeared in 19 matches in the2011–12 season (nine starts, two goals[19][20]) as his team finished in fourth position andqualified for theUEFA Champions League for the first time in its history.
On 2 July 2012, as his contract was about to expire, Maresca signed a new one-year contract with Málaga;[21] but then returned to Italy to joinSampdoria for free at the end of August.[22] On 4 November, he scored his second goal ofthe season via abicycle kick, in a 2–1 home defeat toAtalanta.[23]
In January 2014, after having featured rarely in the first half ofthe new campaign, he agreed on a return to theSerie B and joined league leadersPalermo, who were in need of aplaymaker.[24] Maresca made 13 league appearances as Palermo finished the season as champions.[25] In September, he underwent an operation due to acuteappendicitis,[26] and the following January, he signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2016.[27]
On the final day of the2015–16 Serie A season, Maresca scored in a 3–2 home win overHellas Verona to help save his team from relegation.[28] Ahead of the following season, now afree agent, he joined the relegated opposition.[29] In January 2017, Maresca terminated his contract with Hellas,[30] and retired from playing the following month, on his 37th birthday.[31]
Maresca was selected by theItaly under-20 team for the 2000Toulon Tournament, and finished runner-up withthe under-18s in the1999 UEFA European Championship.
He also representedthe under-21 side for two years between 2000 and 2002, although he missed the2002 UEFA European Championship tournament inSwitzerland due to injury as the nation went on to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.[32] He was never capped atfull level.
A versatile, consistent, fast, energetic and hardworking player, Maresca was capable of playing anywhere in midfield;[33][34][35] although he was often deployed as adeep-lying playmaker, due to his ability to orchestrate his team's offensive moves and create goalscoring opportunities, his preferred position was in abox-to-box role, either as acentral orattacking midfielder, where he often demonstrated his offensive capabilities, eye for goal and adeptness at making late attacking runs into the penalty area. He was also capable of playing as amezzala.[33][36][37][38][39][40] A quick, dynamic and creative player, with good movement, technique and composure on the ball, he possessed good vision, awareness, tactical intelligence and passing ability;[33][34][35][38][41] due to his physical and mental attributes, as well as his stamina, tenacity and work-rate, he was also competent defensively.[33][34][35][41][42][43][44]
Because of his talent and wide range of skills,Emiliano Mondonico, Maresca's former manager at Fiorentina, described him as a "complete player".[33]
On 1 June 2017, Maresca was unveiled as part of the non-playing staff of Serie B clubAscoli for theupcoming season.[45] As he did not have the required coaching badges by the time of the hiring, he was officially appointed as assistant to new head coach Fulvio Fiorin,[46] formerly a youth manager andscout for Milan.[47]
In August 2020, he was hired byManchester City as manager of theirElite Development Squad.[48] Maresca won thePremier League 2 title in his only season in charge of the Elite Development Squad.[49]
On 27 May 2021, Maresca was hired as the new head coach ofParma, who played in Serie B in the2021–22 season.[50] Maresca failed in leading Parma into the promotion spots, being eventually dismissed on 23 November.[51]
In June 2022, he returned to Manchester City as one ofPep Guardiola's assistant managers, replacingJuanma Lillo, who became manager ofAl-Sadd.[52]
On 16 June 2023, Maresca was appointed manager ofChampionship clubLeicester City, having signed a three-year contract with the newly relegated English club.[53][54] He spent his first two months living at the club's training base.[3]
His first game in charge was anM69 derby on 6 August againstCoventry City, ending with a 2–1 victory for Leicester.[55] After starting the season with a 100% record in their first four matches in the Championship, Maresca was named theEFL Championship Manager of the Month in August.[56] In October, he won the award for a second time, after leading Leicester to another perfect record, getting six wins and 15 goals from six matches.[57] In December, he won the award for the third time, after leading Leicester to end the calendar year at the top of the league, getting six wins and 18 goals from seven matches.[58] His Leicester side secured promotion back to thePremier League on 26 April 2024,[59] becoming Championship champions on 29 April following a 3–0 away victory overPreston North End.[60] He was awarded with another EFL Manager of the Month in April, his fourth in the season, for collecting 15 points in seven games.[61]
On 3 June 2024,Premier League clubChelsea announced that Maresca would be joining as head coach on 1 July, signing a five-year deal with an option to extend for a further year.[62]
On 18 August, his first game in charge, ended in a 2–0 home defeat to the championsManchester City.[63] A week later, he achieved his first Premier League win as Chelsea manager by thrashingWolverhampton Wanderers 6–2, thanks to a hat-trick fromNoni Madueke and other goals scored byCole Palmer,Nicolas Jackson andJoão Félix.[64] Better results in the following matches, with three consecutive wins overBournemouth,West Ham United andBrighton & Hove Albion,[65] led to the best start in a Premier League season by the club since 2021 and Maresca was namedPremier League Manager of the Month.[66] By December, Chelsea were seen as potential title contenders, which Maresca played down.[67] In the end, Maresca led Chelsea to a fourth place finish, the first time that the club qualified for theUEFA Champions League since the 2021–22 season underThomas Tuchel.[68]
On 28 May 2025, Maresca won his first trophy as the Chelsea manager by winning theUEFA Conference League after beatingReal Betis 4–1 in thefinal, which meant that Chelsea became the only team to win all three of the current main UEFA competitions.[69] On 13 July 2025, he guided his team to victory in the2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the first edition of the expanded competition, with a 3–0 win over the recently crownedChampions League winner,Paris Saint-Germain, in thefinal.[70] This meant that Maresca had won two trophies overall in his first season as the Chelsea manager.
On 4 October 2025, afterEstevão Willian scored a 95th-minute winner in a 2–1 league victory overLiverpool atStamford Bridge, Maresca sprinted down the touchline to celebrate with his players and was dismissed for receiving a second yellow card.The Athletic reported that the wild celebration would "endear him to Chelsea fans" and framed it as a breakthrough moment in strengthening his bond with the home support, with assistantWilly Caballero adding that such occasions help create a more intimidating matchday environment at Stamford Bridge.[71]
Maresca's tactical approach is influenced by that of his mentorPep Guardiola, under whom he served as an assistant manager at Manchester City.[72] He also drew from his experiences playing under managersMarcello Lippi,Carlo Ancelotti, andManuel Pellegrini.[73] Maresca's style – nicknamedMarescaball in the press – is built on balance, and is characterised not only by maintaining ball possession, creating chances, scoring goals, and building plays from deep, with defenders and goalkeepers passing out from the back, but also by remaining defensively solid.[74][75][76][77][78] Regarding his philosophy and his thesis at the Coverciano coaching course entitled "Football and Chess," Maresca stated in a 2021 interview withLa Gazzetta dello Sport: "The most important is positional play and strategy. For a coach, it's important to have the mentality of a chess player: develop a plan, study counter moves, choose the arrangement of the pieces."[74][79] His teams normally play a4–3–3 formation, or occasionally a4–2–3–1, which becomes a3–5–2 formation when in possession of the ball, with theright-back inverting into midfield and the central midfielders pushing up the pitch order to create a numerical advantage across the pitch through the offensive movement of his players. Off the ball, his teams make use of heavy man-to-man counter-pressing, with the aim of winning the ball back further up the field. When pressing is not possible, his teams often drop into a more defensive4–4–2 block.[74][78] Maresca's style has been likened to that ofMikel Arteta's in the media.[74]
Maresca is married to Maria Jesus Pariente.[80] The couple have four children.[81]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Parma | 27 May 2021 | 23 November 2021 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 028.57 | [82] |
| Leicester City | 16 June 2023 | 3 June 2024 | 53 | 36 | 4 | 13 | 103 | 50 | +53 | 067.92 | [83] |
| Chelsea | 1 July 2024 | Present | 82 | 52 | 12 | 18 | 175 | 85 | +90 | 063.41 | [84] |
| Total | 149 | 92 | 21 | 36 | 296 | 156 | +140 | 061.74 | |||
Juventus[85]
Sevilla[85]
Palermo[31]
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Manchester City U23
Leicester City
Chelsea
Individual
