Enzo Maresca facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Enzo Maresca

Maresca, as manager of Leicester City, holding the EFL Championship trophy
Personal information
Full name	Enzo Maresca
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)
Position(s)	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
2021	Parma
2023–2024	Leicester City
2024–	Chelsea
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Enzo Maresca (born 10 February 1980) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Premier League club Chelsea.

Maresca started his football journey at West Bromwich Albion in 1998. He then played for many clubs in Italy, including Juventus, where he won a league title in 2002. After leaving Juventus in 2004, he played for Fiorentina for one season.

He then moved to Spain, playing for Sevilla for four years and Málaga. During his time in Spain, he played 134 games and scored 17 goals. He also won five major trophies with Sevilla. Between his two periods in Spain, he spent a year in Greece with Olympiacos.

In 2012, Maresca returned to Italy and played until he retired in 2017. He played a total of 140 games and scored 17 goals in Serie A, Italy's top football league.

After retiring as a player, Maresca became a manager. He worked as an assistant manager and led the Manchester City U23 team to a league title. He then managed Parma in Italy. In 2022, he returned to Manchester City as an assistant to manager Pep Guardiola.

In 2023, Maresca became the manager of Leicester City. He led them to win the EFL Championship and get promoted back to the Premier League. In 2024, he joined Chelsea as their head coach. He led Chelsea to win the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in his first season.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Enzo Maresca was born in Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy. He began playing football when he was 11 years old with A.C. Milan. After three years, he joined Cagliari.

Maresca started his professional career in England with West Bromwich Albion. He made his first appearance on 20 September 1998. He played for the English club for almost two seasons in the Football League First Division, which was a high level of football in England.

Time at Juventus

In January 2000, Maresca moved back to Italy to join Juventus. This was a big move for him. He played one game in Italy's top league, Serie A, before the season ended.

For two of the next three seasons, Juventus loaned Maresca to other teams in the league. He played for Bologna and Piacenza. In the 2002–03 season, he scored nine goals for Piacenza. During the previous season, he scored an important goal against Torino in a local derby match.

Playing for Fiorentina

In the summer of 2004, Fiorentina signed Maresca. He made his first official appearance for them on 12 September. Fiorentina managed to avoid being relegated from the top league that season.

Success with Sevilla

Maresca playing for Sevilla in 2008

On 16 July 2005, Maresca moved to Sevilla in Spain. In his first season in La Liga, Spain's top league, he played 29 games and scored eight goals. He also played a key role in Sevilla winning the UEFA Cup in 2005–06. He scored two goals in the final against Middlesbrough and was named the best player of the match.

Maresca also helped Sevilla win the 2006 UEFA Super Cup by scoring a penalty against Barcelona. He played in the 2007 UEFA Cup final as Sevilla won the European title again.

Time in Greece and Return to Spain

On 13 July 2009, Maresca moved to the Greek club Olympiacos. He scored in his first game in the Greek league. He played regularly during the 2009–10 season.

After leaving Olympiacos, Maresca joined Málaga in Spain in December 2010. He made his league debut for Málaga on 8 January 2011. In the 2011–12 season, his team finished fourth. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever.

Back to Italy

In August 2012, Maresca returned to Italy to join Sampdoria. In November, he scored a fantastic goal with a bicycle kick.

In January 2014, he joined Palermo in Serie B, Italy's second division. Palermo won the league that season. In September, he had an operation for appendicitis. In his final season with Palermo, he scored a goal that helped his team avoid relegation from Serie A. He then joined Hellas Verona before retiring from playing in February 2017, on his 37th birthday.

International Appearances

Maresca played for Italy's youth national teams. He was part of the Italy under-20 team for a tournament in 2000. He also finished second with the under-18 team in the 1999 UEFA European Championship.

He played for the under-21 team for two years. However, he never played for the senior Italian national team.

Playing Style

Enzo Maresca was a very flexible and energetic player in midfield. He could play in many different positions. He was often a "deep-lying playmaker," meaning he helped start attacks from further back on the field. He was also good at a "box-to-box role," which means he helped both in defense and attack.

He was known for his good vision, awareness, and passing skills. He was also strong and worked hard, which made him good at defending too. His former manager, Emiliano Mondonico, called him a "complete player" because of his many skills.

Managerial Career

Early Coaching Roles

On 1 June 2017, Maresca became part of the coaching staff at Ascoli, a club in Italy's Serie B. He was an assistant coach there.

In August 2020, he was hired by Manchester City to manage their Elite Development Squad (U23 team). Maresca led this team to win the Premier League 2 title in his only season in charge.

Managing Parma

On 27 May 2021, Maresca became the head coach of Parma, who played in Serie B. However, he was dismissed from his role in November of that year.

Return to Manchester City

In June 2022, Maresca went back to Manchester City. He became one of Pep Guardiola's assistant managers, helping the main team.

Leading Leicester City

On 16 June 2023, Maresca was appointed manager of Championship club Leicester City. He signed a three-year contract with the club.

His first game in charge was on 6 August, which Leicester won 2–1. He had a perfect record in the first four matches of the season. Maresca was named the EFL Championship Manager of the Month in August, October, and December 2023. He won the award a fourth time in April 2024.

His Leicester team secured promotion back to the Premier League on 26 April 2024. They became Championship champions on 29 April after a 3–0 win against Preston North End.

Managing Chelsea

On 3 June 2024, Premier League club Chelsea announced that Maresca would be joining as their head coach on 1 July. He signed a five-year deal.

His first game in charge was on 18 August, a 2–0 home defeat to Manchester City. A week later, he got his first win as Chelsea manager in the Premier League, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 6–2. Chelsea had a great start to the season, and Maresca was named Premier League Manager of the Month in September 2024.

Maresca led Chelsea to finish fourth in the league, which meant the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League. On 28 May 2025, Maresca won his first trophy as Chelsea manager. They won the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League by beating Real Betis 4–1 in the final. This made Chelsea the only team to win all three of the main UEFA club competitions. On 13 July 2025, he guided his team to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. They beat Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 in the final. This was his second trophy in his first season at Chelsea.

Managerial Style

Enzo Maresca's coaching style is influenced by his mentor, Pep Guardiola, whom he worked with at Manchester City. He also learned from managers like Marcello Lippi, Carlo Ancelotti, and Manuel Pellegrini.

Maresca's style, sometimes called Marescaball, focuses on keeping control of the ball. His teams like to build plays from the back, with defenders and goalkeepers passing the ball out. They also aim to create chances and score goals, while staying strong in defense.

He believes in "positional play and strategy," like a chess player. His teams usually play in a 4–3–3 formation. When they have the ball, this often changes to a 3–5–2 formation. This helps his players create more attacking options. When they don't have the ball, his teams press hard to win it back quickly. If pressing isn't possible, they often drop back into a 4–4–2 defensive shape.

Personal Life

Enzo Maresca is married to Maria Jesus Pariente. They have four children together.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Juventus

• Serie A: 2001–02 (Italian League Title)

Sevilla

• Copa del Rey: 2006–07 (Spanish Cup)
• Supercopa de España: 2007 (Spanish Super Cup)
• UEFA Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07 (European Club Competition)
• UEFA Super Cup: 2006 (Match between UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup winners)

Palermo

• Serie B: 2013–14 (Italian Second Division Title)

As a Manager

Manchester City U23

• Premier League 2: 2020–21 (Youth League Title)

Leicester City

• EFL Championship: 2023–24 (English Second Division Title)

Chelsea

• UEFA Conference League: 2024–25 (European Club Competition)
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2025 (World Club Competition)

Individual Awards

• Premier League Manager of the Month: September 2024
• EFL Championship Manager of the Month: August 2023, October 2023, December 2023, April 2024

See also

In Spanish: Enzo Maresca para niños