The rich history of new City Manager Enzo Maresca | OneFootball

New City boss Enzo Maresca, who has signed a three-year deal with the Club, has enjoyed a rich and varied coaching career.

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It’s taken in two spells with the Blues as well as successful stints at both Leicester and Chelsea and early beginnings alongside a former City boss.

Here, Club journalist Neil Leigh charts the Italian’s journey.

After initially embarking on his coaching career as part of backroom staff at Ascoli, Sevilla and then West Ham United, the 46-year-old first arrived at the CFA in the summer of 2020 where he spent a season working as lead coach of our Elite Development Squad.

Watch: Welcome back Enzo!

There Maresca guided City’s Under-21s to a first-ever Premier League 2 title across the 2020/21 campaign.

His EDS side drew widespread acclaim both for the manner of the achievement, with the side securing the title by a record-breaking points margin, as well as for producing an attractive and entertaining brand of football.

Men's Team

The remarkable football journey of Enzo Maresca

Maresca also deftly moulded a prodigiously talented squad that featured the likes of Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, James McAtee and Morgan Rogers with the bulk of his players subsequently going on to enjoy great success in the elite professional sphere.

After moving on for a spell in charge of Italian side Parma, Enzo then returned to the CFA in the summer of 2022, where he became a key and trusted part of Guardiola’s senior first team coaching set-up.

Maresca’s input and insight proved crucial across what proved a remarkable 2022/23 campaign that would see City go onto claim a historic Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League successes.

In the wake of that historic campaign, Maresca was subsequently appointed manager of Leicester City in the summer of 2023 in the wake of the Foxes’ relegation from the Premier League.

He was to make an instant impact at the King Power Stadium, guiding Leicester both to the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League in his first season in charge.

Once again both the manner of Leicester’s achievement alongside the progressive manner in which that success was achieved garnered widespread acclaim and admiration for Maresca’s coaching acumen and work ethic.

In the wake of that success, Enzo was then appointed manager of Chelsea in the summer of 2024 where he was to enjoy more notable and instant success.

Maresca went on to lead to London club to twin trophy success in his maiden campaign at the Stamford Bridge, having also guided the club back into the UEFA Champions League for the first time in three years.

Chelsea first secured the 2025 UEFA Conference League in impressive fashion, beating Real Betis 4-1 in the final.

Under Maresca’s stewardship, the Londoners then went on to also prove triumphant in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup held in the United States.

There, a comprehensive and impressive 3-0 victory over European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the final in New York once more served to illustrate the scope and breadth of Maresca’s tactical pedigree.

Prior to making his move into coaching and management, Enzo had also enjoyed a hugely distinguished and successful playing career over a near 20-year period where he operated as an acclaimed central and attacking midfielder.

It was one that took in spells with West Brom, where he was to enjoy cult status, before he went to represent Juventus, Fiorentina, Sevilla, Malaga and Olympiakos amongst other clubs to impressive effect.

A Serie A title, two UEFA Cups, a UEFA Super Cup, Copa del Rey and a Supercopa de Espana figured amongst Maresca’s significant trophy haul with Enzo also representing Italy at Under-21 level.

Across the course of his playing days, Maresca was also afforded the opportunity to further his footballing acumen by working under some of the game’s most revered and admired managers.

Amongst the roll call of stellar names who helped shape his development were both Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi at Juventus, Italian goalkeeping icon Dino Zoff at Fiorentina, Juande Ramos at Sevilla, Brazilian icon Zico at Olympiakos, and former City manager Manuel Pellegrini who was in charge during Enzo’s time playing with Malaga.