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Enzo Maresca

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Enzo Maresca
Maresca in 2024
Personal information
Full name Enzo Maresca
Date of birth (1980-02-10) 10 February 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
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 (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛntso maˈreska]; born 10 February 1980) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He is the current head coach of Premier League club Chelsea.

After starting out at West Bromwich Albion in 1998, he went on to play for several clubs in his country, including Juventus, 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 with Fiorentina. He then resumed his career in La Liga with Sevilla (where he remained for four years) and Málaga, 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 with Olympiacos. In 2012, he returned to Italy, where he played until his retirement in 2017, totalling 140 appearances and 17 goals in Serie A.

Maresca represented Italy at youth level, including the Italy under-21 team, but was never capped at senior level.

Club career

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

Born in Pontecagnano Faiano, Province of Salerno, Maresca started playing football at the age of 11 with A.C. Milan and joined Cagliari after three years.

He began his professional career with English club West Bromwich Albion, despite having "no grasp of the English language".[2] He made his debut in a 2–0 home defeat against Bradford City on 20 September 1998, and played two incomplete seasons with the English club in the Football League First Division.[3]

Juventus

[edit]

In January 2000, Maresca moved back to Italy and joined Juventus in a transfer worth £4.3 million, a club-record sale for Albion at the time.[4] He played in one Serie A game before the end of the season.

For two of the following three seasons, Maresca was loaned to fellow league teams Bologna and Piacenza—a co-ownershp deal in the latter case—scoring nine goals in 2002–03 but suffering team relegation. During the previous campaign, he notably netted an important equaliser in the Derby della mole return leg, against neighbouring Torino; he attracted controversy, however, when he celebrated the goal by mimicking Torino's Marco Ferrante's earlier "bull-horn" goal celebration (the bull being a club symbol as it is Turin's coat of arms, and the side also being known in its contracted form as "Toro", bull in Italian).[5] Juventus subsequently bought the remaining 50% of his rights for €2.6 million.[6]

Fiorentina

[edit]

In the summer of 2004, Fiorentina signed Maresca along with Fabrizio Miccoli and Giorgio 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 to Roma.

At the end of the season, with the Viola narrowly avoiding top level relegation, Juventus bought back all three for around €6.7 million in a blind auction between the clubs.[7] Maresca's cost was of only about €7,000,[8] but an additional €420,000 agent fee in order to keep the player was also involved.

Sevilla

[edit]

On 16 July 2005, Maresca transferred to Sevilla for a fee of €2.5 million on a four-year contract.[9] In his first season in La Liga, he played 29 games and scored eight goals. He played eleven games and scored three goals in the side's victorious campaign in the UEFA Cup. This included scoring twice in the final against Middlesbrough (4–0), in which he was also named man of the match.[10] Maresca donated €10,000 prize money to the San Juan de Dios hospital in Seville.[11] He scored a late penalty, after coming off the bench, to seal a 3–0 win over Barcelona in 2006 UEFA Super Cup.[12]

Maresca played 45 minutes in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final at Hampden Park, as Sevilla successfully defended its European title against Espanyol.[13] He appeared in an average of 22 league matches in his last three years combined.

Olympiacos

[edit]

On 13 July 2009, Maresca transferred to Greek club Olympiacos in a three-year deal.[14] He scored in his Superleague debut, a 2–0 win at Larissa, and appeared regularly during the 2009–10 campaign as the Piraeus-based club finished in second position.

Málaga

[edit]

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 with Málaga; after undergoing a medical examination, he signed with the Andalusians until June 2012.[15] Maresca made his league debut for his new team on 8 January 2011, playing 57 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against Athletic Bilbao.[16] On 7 May, he contributed with one goal to the team's 3–0 success at Atlético Madrid.[17]

Maresca appeared in 19 matches in 2011–12 (nine starts, two goals[18][19]) as his team finished in fourth position and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its history.

Return to Italy

[edit]

On 2 July 2012, as his contract was about to expire, Maresca signed a new one-year contract with Málaga;[20] but then returned to Italy to join Sampdoria for free at the end of August.[21] He scored his second goal of the season via a bicycle kick, but in a 1–2 home defeat to Atalanta on 4 November 2012.[22]

In January 2014, after having featured rarely in the first half of the new campaign, he agreed on a return to the Serie B and joined league leaders Palermo, who were in need of a playmaker.[23] Maresca made 13 league appearances as Palermo finished the season as champions.[24] In September 2014 he underwent an operation due to acute appendicitis,[25] and the following January he signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2016.[26]

On the final day of the 2015–16 Serie A season, Maresca scored in a 3–2 home win over Hellas Verona to help save his team from relegation.[27] Ahead of the following season, now a free agent, the joined the relegated opposition.[28] In January 2017 Maresca terminated his contract with Hellas,[29] and retired from playing the following month, on his 37th birthday.[30]

International career

[edit]

Maresca was selected by the Italy under-20 team for the 2000 Toulon Tournament, and finished runner-up with the under-18s in the 1999 UEFA European Championship.

He also represented the under-21 side for two years between 2000 and 2002, although he missed the 2002 UEFA European Championship tournament in Switzerland due to injury as the nation went on to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.[31] He was never capped at full level.

Style of play

[edit]

A versatile, consistent, fast, energetic and hardworking player, Maresca was capable of playing anywhere in midfield;[32][33][34] although he was often deployed as a deep-lying playmaker, due to his ability to orchestrate his team's offensive moves and create goalscoring opportunities, his preferred position was in a box-to-box role, either as a central or attacking 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 a mezzala.[32][35][36][37][38][39] 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;[32][33][34][37][40] due to his physical and mental attributes, as well as his stamina, tenacity and work-rate, he was also competent defensively.[32][33][34][40][41][42][43]

Because of his talent and wide range of skills, Emiliano Mondonico, Maresca's former manager at Fiorentina, described him as a "complete player".[32]

Managerial career

[edit]

On 1 June 2017, Maresca was unveiled as part of the non-playing staff of Serie B club Ascoli for the upcoming season.[44] 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,[45] formerly a youth manager and scout for Milan.[46]

In August 2020, he was hired by Manchester City as manager of their Elite Development Squad.[47]

Parma

[edit]

After winning the Premier League 2 title with Manchester City, on 27 May 2021 he was hired as the new head coach of Parma, who played in Serie B in the 2021–22 season.[48] Maresca failed in leading Parma into the promotion spots, being eventually dismissed on 23 November 2021.[49]

In June 2022, he returned to Manchester City as one of Pep Guardiola's assistant managers, replacing Juanma Lillo, who became manager of Al-Sadd.[50]

Leicester City

[edit]
Enzo Maresca holds a silver trophy aloft
Maresca lifts the Championship trophy in Leicester in 2024

On 16 June 2023, Maresca was appointed manager of Championship club Leicester City, having signed a three-year contract with the newly relegated English club.[51][52] He spent his first two months living at the club's training base.[2] His first game in charge was an M69 derby on 6 August 2023 against Coventry City, ending with a 2–1 victory for Leicester.[53] After starting the season with a 100% record in their first four matches in the Championship, Maresca was named the EFL Championship Manager of the Month in August.[54] 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.[55] 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.[56] His Leicester side secured promotion back to the Premier League on 26 April 2024,[57] becoming Championship champions on 29 April following a 3–0 away victory over Preston North End.[58] He was awarded with another EFL Manager of the Month in April, his fourth in the season, for collecting 15 points in seven games.[59]

Chelsea

[edit]

On 3 June 2024, Premier League club, Chelsea, announced that Maresca would be joining as head coach on 1 July 2024, signing a five-year deal with an option to extend for a further year.[60] On 18 August 2024, his first game in charge ended in a 2-0 home defeat to the champions Manchester City.[61] A week later, he achieved his first win as Chelsea manager in the Premier League by thrashing Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Noni Madueke and other goals scored by Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and João Félix. Better results in following matches, with three consecutive wins over Bournemouth, West Ham and Brighton, led to the best start in a Premier League season by the club since 2021 and Enzo Maresca was also named Premier League Manager of the Month for September 2024.[62]

Personal life

[edit]

Maresca is married to Maria Jesus Pariente.[63] The couple have four children.[64]

Managerial statistics

[edit]
As of match played 10 November 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
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 [65]
Leicester City 16 June 2023 3 June 2024 53 36 4 13 103 50 +53 067.92 [66]
Chelsea 1 July 2024 Present 18 10 4 4 45 20 +25 055.56 [67]
Total 85 50 13 22 166 91 +75 058.82 —

Honours

[edit]

Player

[edit]

Juventus[68]

Sevilla[68]

Palermo[30]

Manager

[edit]

Manchester City Under-23

Leicester City

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Enzo Maresca". Elite Football. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Maresca 'not scared' of fresh start with Leicester". BBC Sport.
  3. ^ "Sporting Digest: Football". The Independent. 22 September 1998. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Albion's timeline". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Gol, nervi tesi ed emozioni il derby ferma la Juve" [Goals, bundle of nerves and excitement Juve closes derby] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 24 February 2002. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. ^ Reports and financial statements at 30 June 2003 Archived 7 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine; Juventus FC, 2003
  7. ^ Reports and financial statements at 30 June 2005 Archived 7 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine; Juventus FC, 2005
  8. ^ "Six-monthly report at 31 December 2005" (PDF). Juventus FC. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2013.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ Maresca makes Sevilla move; UEFA.com, 16 July 2005
  10. ^ Middlesbrough 0–4 Sevilla; BBC Sport, 10 May 2006
  11. ^ Enzo Maresca fue elegido mejor jugador de la final (Enzo Maresca chosen final MVP); Marca, 10 May 2006 (in Spanish)
  12. ^ "2006 Super Cup: Sevilla win big in Monaco". UEFA.com. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Palop ensures cup joy for Sevilla". UEFA.com. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Announcement". Olympiakos F.C. 13 July 2009. Archived from the original on 13 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  15. ^ Maresca ficha por el Málaga (Maresca signs for Málaga); Diario AS, 8 December 2010 (in Spanish)
  16. ^ "Martinez leaves it late for Bilbao". ESPN Soccernet. 8 January 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  17. ^ "Vital win for visitors". ESPN Soccernet. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  18. ^ "Malaga hit back to sink Getafe". ESPN Soccernet. 1 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  19. ^ "Rondon doubles up in Malaga win". ESPN Soccernet. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  20. ^ Maresca renueva por una temporada con el Málaga (Maresca renews with Málaga for one season); Marca, 2 July 2012 (in Spanish)
  21. ^ "Enzo Maresca, l'emigrante di successo e di ritorno" [Enzo Maresca, the successful immigrant returns] (in Italian). U.C. Sampdoria. 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  22. ^ "Sampdoria 1–2 Atalanta". ESPN Soccernet. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  23. ^ "Maresca saluta la Samp: la nuova avventura a Palermo" [Maresca says good by to Sampdoria: a new adventure in Palermo] (in Italian). Tutto Sport. 14 January 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  24. ^ Aldo Cangemi (3 May 2014). "Serie B, trionfo Palermo: Serie A! E' una cavalcata record" [Serie B, Palermo triumph: Serie A! It's a record-breaking ride] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  25. ^ "Operazione all'appendice per Maresca" [Appendix operation for Maresca] (in Italian). Palermo Calcio. 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  26. ^ Fabrizio Vitale (27 January 2015). "Palermo, Maresca rinnova. Ed è fatta per Jajalo" [Palermo, Maresca renews. It's settled for Jajalo] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  27. ^ "Serie A survival a 'miracle' – Gilardino". FourFourTwo. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  28. ^ "Hellas Verona, è ufficiale: Maresca ha firmato un biennale" [Hellas Verona, it's official: Maresca signed for two years] (in Italian). Stadio 24. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  29. ^ "Risoluzione consensuale per Enzo Maresca" [Consensual resolution for Enzo Maresca] (in Italian). Hellas Verona. 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  30. ^ a b "Enzo Maresca announces retirement". Football Italia. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  31. ^ "Holders' high expectations". UEFA.com. 14 May 2002. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  32. ^ a b c d e Cesare Treccarichi (20 January 2014). "Mondonico: " Maresca, giocatore completo. Regista? Secondo me... "" [Mondonico: " Maresca, complete player. Playmaker? According to me... "] (in Italian). Palermo 24. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  33. ^ a b c "Piacere, Superman" [Nice to meet you, Superman] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  34. ^ a b c "Palermo, con Maresca sarebbe un centrocampo perfetto" [Palermo, with Maresca we will have a perfect midfield] (in Italian). Tutto Palermo. 29 August 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  35. ^ "Il mercato adesso frena Lucchesi deve vendere" [Market now comes to a still Lucchesi must sell] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 6 August 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  36. ^ Bedeschi, Stefano (10 February 2014). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Vincenzo MARESCA" [Heroes in black and white: Vincenzo MARESCA] (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  37. ^ a b ""Made in Italy": i migliori italiani della 38 giornata di Serie A per i media" ["Made in Italy": the best Italians of the 38th Serie A matchday] (in Italian). Vivo Azzurro. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  38. ^ Rocco Fasano (15 January 2014). "OFFICIAL: Maresca to Palermo". Italian Football Daily. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  39. ^ "Maresca-Mediagol: "Coronavirus e calcio, la penso così. Palermo, gli amici e Mondello. Tutto su Juventus, Inter e Lazio. La mia filosofia da tecnico, obiettivi e futuro…"" [Maresca–Mediagol: "Coronavirus and football, this is how I feel about it. Palermo, my friends and Mondello. All about Juventus, Inter and Lazio. My coaching philosophy, objctives, and future..."] (in Italian). Media Gol. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  40. ^ a b "Maresca eroe di Spagna" [Maresca hero of Spain] (in Italian). Tutto Calciatori. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  41. ^ Franco Esposito (4 February 2000). "Maresca alla Juve sogno da 10 miliardi" [Maresca to Juve a dream worth 10 billion] (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  42. ^ "Palermo 1–1 Inter Milan". BBC Sport. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  43. ^ Giulia Borletto (25 November 2010). "Inter-Maresca: c'è il contatto" [Inter-Maresca: there is contact] (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  44. ^ "Presentati il nuovo allenatore Fiorin e il vice Maresca" [New manager Fiorin and assistant Maresca presented.] (in Italian). Ascoli Picchio F.C. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  45. ^ "Calciomercato Ascoli, addio con Aglietti. Panchina a Fiorin e Maresca" [Transfer market Ascoli, bye bye Aglietti. Fiorin and Maresca take the bench] (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Fulvio Fiorin, ecco chi è lo stratega che anticipa i successi di Inzaghi" [Fulvio Fiorin, the strategist who anticipates Inzaghi's successes] (in Italian). Spazio Milan. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  47. ^ "ENZO MARESCA". Manchester City F.C. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  48. ^ "Enzo Maresca is the new head coach of Parma Calcio". Parma Calcio 1913. 27 May 2021. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  49. ^ "Enzo Maresca sollevato dall'incarico" (in Italian). Parma Calcio 1913. 23 November 2021. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  50. ^ "Maresca, el nuevo ayudante de Guardiola" [Maresca, Guardiola's new assistant]. Marca (in Spanish). 18 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  51. ^ "Leicester City Appoint Enzo Maresca As First Team Manager". Leicester City Football Club. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  52. ^ Fisher, Ben (16 June 2023). "Leicester confirm Enzo Maresca's arrival from Manchester City as manager". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  53. ^ "Leicester City 2-1 Coventry - Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scores two late goals to snatch victory". BBC. 6 August 2023.
  54. ^ a b "See the Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month winners for August". EFL. 8 September 2023.
  55. ^ a b "See the Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month winners for October". EFL. 10 November 2023.
  56. ^ a b "Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month for December". EFL. 12 January 2024.
  57. ^ "Leicester City promoted back to Premier League". ESPN.com. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  58. ^ a b Unwin, Will (29 April 2024). "Jamie Vardy starts Leicester party as win at Preston seals Championship title". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  59. ^ a b "Sky Bet Manager and Player of the Month: April winners". EFL. 3 May 2024.
  60. ^ "Maresca to become Chelsea head coach". Chelsea FC. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  61. ^ Mallows, Tom (18 August 2024). "Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  62. ^ Abraham, Timothy (25 August 2024). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-6 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  63. ^ Supertramp, Philip (27 July 2022). "Enzo Maresca e l'amore di Siviglia" (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  64. ^ Galdi, Guendalina (11 March 2023). "Maresca al Leicester miglior tecnico italiano all'estero: 4 figli, l'orchestra, gli scacchi e no social". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  65. ^ "Parma Calcio 1913: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  66. ^ "Leicester City FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  67. ^ "Chelsea FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  68. ^ a b "E. Maresca – Trophies". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  69. ^ "Maresca named Barclays Manager of the Month". Premier League. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
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