Enzo Maresca (born 10 February 1980) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He began his professional career as a midfielder with West Bromwich Albion in 1998.
โฝ Playing Career
Maresca joined Juventus in 2000 and won Serie A in 2002, and went on loan to Bologna and Piacenza. After a brief stint with Fiorentina, Maresca joined Sevilla in 2005 and won the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espaรฑa and UEFA Super Cup once each, and the UEFA Cup twice.
Maresca played for Olympiacos, Mรกlaga and Sampdoria between 2009 and 2014 before signing with Palermo, where he won the Serie B title. He joined Hellas Verona in 2016 and retired in 2017.
He represented Italy at youth level, including the Italy under-21 team, but was never capped at senior level. Maresca started his professional career with English club West Bromwich Albion, despite having “no grasp of the English language”.
๐ Playing Style
A versatile, consistent, fast, energetic and hardworking player, Maresca was capable of playing anywhere in midfield. Although he was often deployed as a deep-lying playmaker, his preferred position was in a box-to-box role, either as a central or attacking midfielder.
He was also capable of playing as a mezzala. 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.
๐ Coaching Career
Maresca began his coaching career as an assistant with Ascoli in 2017. In 2020, he joined Manchester City EDS, winning Premier League 2 in 2021. He began his senior coaching career with Parma in 2021, but was fired that same year and returned to Manchester City as an assistant in 2022.
Maresca joined Leicester City as head coach in 2023 and won the EFL Championship in 2024. He signed with Chelsea that same year, where he won the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, but departed in 2026.
๐ Managerial Achievements
Maresca won the Premier League 2 title in his only season in charge of the Elite Development Squad. He was named the EFL Championship Manager of the Month in August, October, December, and April during his Leicester City tenure.
On 28 May 2025, Maresca won his first trophy as the Chelsea manager by winning the UEFA Conference League. On 13 July 2025, he guided his team to victory in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
| Year | Club (Player) | Honour | Year (Manager) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Juventus | Serie A | 2021 |
| 2006 | Sevilla | UEFA Cup | 2024 |
| 2007 | Sevilla | UEFA Cup | 2025 |
| 2014 | Palermo | Serie B | 2025 |