The story of Enzo Maresca’s incredible UEFA Cup prize money donation | OneFootball

A man of the match display in the 2006 UEFA Cup final helped shine a light on the caring and generous nature of new City manager Enzo Maresca.

Men's Team

The rich history of new City Manager Enzo Maresca

Before making the move into coaching and management, the 46-year-old, who has signed a three-year contract as City boss in succession to Pep Guardiola, enjoyed a hugely successful playing career that spanned almost 20 years.

Arguably the pinnacle of the Italian’s time as a highly regarded midfield operator came during a four-year spell with Spanish club Sevilla between 2005 and 2009.

It was a period that ushered in a period of then unprecedented success for Sevilla, with Maresca helping the La Liga side win two UEFA Cups alongside the UEFA Super Cup and Copa del Rey.

The high watermark of that spell in Andalucia came when Maresca was named man of the match after his two goals in the 2006 UEFA Cup final helped inspire Sevilla to a dominant 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough.

A sum of €10,000 prize money was also awarded to Maresca in the wake of him receiving that prestigious accolade.

However, instead of opting to accept that significant sum, Maresca instead demonstrated his generous and altruistic nature by gifting the funds directly to the San Juan de Dios hospital in Seville.

Maresca developed a strong tie to Seville, as his wife hails from the idyllic Spanish city with the couple’s first son also being born there.

And he said he felt it was the least he could do by way of reciprocating all that he had received whilst playing for the club.

“Yes, it’s true. For the man-of-the-match award in the final there was an amount of money,” Enzo said, speaking to mancity.com back in 2021.

“Why did I do it? Simply because I always say that we should never forget we are very lucky in our profession.

“In terms of the life we have, in terms of how lucky we are with how much money we earn, so when we have the chance to help people, it’s a good thing to do.

“My wife is from Seville, my first son was born in Seville, so Seville for me it’s like my second home.

“I remember that the city went absolutely crazy at the time.

“Especially because it was the first European trophy for the club. Now after 15 years they’ve won the Europa League many times.

“They had never won the Super Cup, but during that time it was a crazy thing for the city, the fans, and the club because as a team we changed a little bit of the history of that club.

“That was the most productive period of my playing career absolutely but then, to be honest, in all my experiences with all the teams I joined, all of them were good in different terms.”