Enzo Maresca was born on February 10th, 1980, in Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy.
Aged 11 he moved 150 miles from his family home to join AC Milan’s youth academy where he impressed his coaches with his maturity and dedication as much as his performances.
There he maintained his school studies while learning his trade in midfield.
| Per year | €4,987,359.66 | £4,200,518 |
| Per month | €415,613 | £350,042 |
| Per week | €95,910 | £80,778 |
| Per day | €13,663 | £11,507 |
| Per hour | €569 | £479 |
| Per minute | €9 | £7 |
Three years later however he was off, to Cagliari of all places. The Sardinians had just achieved promotion to Serie A under Claudio Ranieri and, with one eye on the future, they were looking to beef up their youth set-up. At just 14 years of age, Maresca relocated to the beautiful island.
Reimagined as a deep-lying anchor, the teenager thrived, gaining international recognition with a handful of appearances at Under 18 level.
And with word getting out that he was a star in the making along came another surprising left-turn when West Brom chanced their arm and made a move.
Wanting to experience an entirely new culture, Maresca agreed.
Unable to speak much English, in the Midlands he was paired up with another young prospect named Graham Potter to car pool to training each day and together the two future Chelsea managers would share footballing philosophies.
On the pitch meanwhile the teenager adapted quickly and became an immediate success with the Baggies. The fans love him still.
The midfielder would go on to play for a further ten different clubs before moving into coaching where he has enjoyed even greater success. It has all been a meandering, fascinating journey that has earned him a fortune along the way.
How Much Is Enzo Maresca Worth?
The father of four is on £4.2m basic at Stamford Bridge, a figure that exceeds his salary at Leicester and furthermore it is a number that is set to dramatically rise should he take Chelsea in the right direction.
It should be noted that his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, was on £10.4m per annum.
In truth, his salary surprises, it being £300,000 below what Oliver Glasner receives at Crystal Palace and £800,000 less than Sean Dyche’s take-home at Everton.
It is a testament to Maresca’s ambition that he was willing to accept such terms so as to secure his dream position.
Not that he is in desperate need of a bumper pay-out. Two decades playing at a high level will have made the 44-year-old an extremely wealthy individual while he additionally has property interests, with a luxury home in the Midlands and a pad in the capital.
All told, Enzo Maresca’s net worth is estimated to be a little north of £6m.
Club Career
A series of rave reviews for the Baggies gained the attention of Juventus who splashed out £4.3m for the 20-year-old at the start of 2000.
Believing he was still a bit too raw for Serie A, the Zebras loaned out their new recruit, first to Bologna, then to Piacenza, while in between these two spells Maresca played with distinction at the Stadio delle Alpi, alongside the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero, two legendary scourges of any live betting market.
A single season at Fiorentina followed whereupon Sevilla swooped in 2005, the midfielder once again having to acclimatise to a new country and unfamiliar league.
A highlight in Spain was winning the UEFA Cup twice-over, the player scoring a brace in the first final against Middlesbrough. Maresca was publicly lauded after the game for giving his win bonus to a local hospital.
A year-long stint at Olympiacos came next, then Malaga and Sampdoria, and by now he had picked up a reputation as a journeyman, a term unbefitting a man of his ability.
He drew his playing career to a close with two seasons at Palermo and a swansong with Hellas Verona.
What is most striking when revisiting the Italian’s playing days, and reading comments made at the time by his peers, is that even as a youngster Maresca was never less than thoughtful and purposeful in everything he did and every pass he made.
There was always a coach in there, just waiting to come out.
Coaching Career
After hanging up his boots, an assistant coach’s position was taken at Ascoli in Serie B. For three years there, Maresca secured all of his necessary badges and learnt the ropes.
In 2017, an offer to become head coach of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad was too good to turn down, and he duly excelled in this role, passing on things he had picked up from managers he had previously played under, greats such as Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi.
City’s EDS won their league that season.
Parma was next, stuck in Serie B, but before that project could get properly underway Manchester City returned, offering a fresh challenge. Would he like to be Pep Guardiola’s assistant?
That campaign, with the managerial grandmaster as his mentor will no doubt shape Maresca’s coaching career forever more, and it was a successful one too, with the Blues finally attaining their holy grail of a Champions League triumph.
And so to Leicester, just relegated and in the doldrums. The manner in which Maresca changed their style of play to his suiting and moulded a promotion-winning squad in such a short space of time was seriously impressive. The relatively novice head coach was making waves.
His achievements certainly caught the eye of Todd Boehly at Chelsea, the Blues installing him as their new gaffer, on a five-year contract, in July 2024.
Last season, chaos and crisis reigned supreme at the Bridge and subsequently Chelsea’s odds to win the title in the Premier League betting are lengthy to put it mildly. What shouldn’t be overlooked though is the Meresca factor.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
