Enzo Maresca's Playing Career – Juventus, UEFA Cup Heroics & Serie A Survival
The Salerno-born Italian agreed to become the Club’s 50th Men’s First Team Manager on Friday, signing a three-year deal.
Most recently part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff for a historic treble-winning season, the 43-year-old is now tasked with targeting a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Growing up in the south-west region of Campania, early influences of Catenaccio were strong and by the age of 11, in 1991, he joined AC Milan’s youth setup.
Cagliari, who were recently promoted back to Serie A with former Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri, became his next destination as a youth player, a foundation for carving out an impressive career as a deep-lying midfielder.
Maresca first arrived in England as early as 1998, making his senior debut for West Bromwich Albion in the First Division.
Returning to Italy by the turn of the 21st century, time at Juventus, playing alongside the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon – who he would later manage – brought Serie A and Supercoppa Italiana trophies, intertwined with loans at Bologna and Piacenza.
His international career, meanwhile, also hit its peak at this point, making 15 appearances for Italy Under-21s having moved through the ranks from the age of 15.
His short spell with Fiorentina came next, before moving across Europe to Sevilla. Soon a key player, playing over 100 times for Rojiblancos, he lifted the UEFA Cup twice, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and Copa Del Rey during a trophy-laden four-year spell.
In the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, he scored twice in just seven minutes against Middlesbrough in Eindhoven and then played in the 2007 final, where Sevilla were also victorious.
A move to Greek giants Olympiacos came three years later, soon returning to Spain with Málaga and then Italy with Sampdoria and Palermo – helping I Rosanero to Serie A promotion.
At Palermo, Maresca scored on the final day of the 2015/16 season against Hellas Verona to retain the club’s status in the top division of Italian football.
He then joined Hellas a year later before finally hanging up his boots to bring to a close an enthralling playing career.
Almost immediately thrust into the world of coaching, appointed as assistant manager at Serie B side Ascoli in the summer of 2017, he returned to English shores three years on, becoming Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad Head Coach.
With inspiration from the legendary managers he played under, including Carlo Ancelotti, Zico and Marcello Lippi to name a few, Maresca led City’s EDS side to the Premier League 2 Division 1 title in a memorable first season in charge.
Swapping Manchester for Parma, he became the new head coach for the start of the 2021/22 season in Serie B. Departing in November, Maresca was back in the north west of England the following season, re-joining Manchester City as Guardiola’s assistant.
The Citizens went on to lift the UEFA Champions League earlier this month, completing the treble which also included the Premier League title and Emirates FA Cup.