Enzo Maresca is the man who has been handed the daunting task of replacing the mighty Pep Guardiola as the next manager of Manchester City.
The Italian will be returning for his third spell at City, having previously been Under-23 manager before returning to become an assistant to Guardiola with the senior squad.
Those two seasons in Manchester would see him win the Premier League 2 title with the Elite Development Squad in 2020/21 before becoming part of City's treble-winning coaching staff of 2022/23.
A versatile midfielder as a player, Maresca started his career at Cagliari in Italy before moving to English side West Bromwich Albion in 1998, where he would spend the next 18 months.
From there, he would move back to Italy in 2000 and join Serie A giants Juventus, whose star-studded dressing room included the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero and Pavel Nedved.
His football education would be given the ultimate tutelage playing under legendary Italian coaches Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi at the Old Lady.
“In terms of motivation and leadership, Marcello Lippi in my experience was number one,” Maresca told the Manchester City club website in 2022. “It was a great experience to work with him.
“And then the year after I also worked with Carlo Ancelotti, which was a great experience in different terms. In terms of approach, they’re different but both are top, top coaches. For me both of them were fantastic; you can learn a lot working with them.”
It would be during his four years with La Liga side Sevilla from 2004 that Maresca would enjoy the most successful spell of his playing career under the guidance of Spanish manager Juande Ramos.
Maresca would lift the Uefa Cup twice in successive seasons – securing the man-of-the-match award in their 2006 final win over Middlesbrough – as well as winning the Uefa Super Cup, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
“It was an incredible team and was a very good experience in terms of many things,” said Maresca. “Juande was a good coach … He gave to us many things when we worked together with Sevilla. That was the most productive period of my playing career. Absolutely.”
After ending his playing career at Italian side Verona aged 37 in 2017, it was time for a switch to coaching with Serie B club Ascoli.
He was soon packing his suitcase and heading back to England, where he would become one of former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini's assistants at West Ham United.
Maresca had played under Pellegrini at Spanish side Malaga and the Chilean was a huge influence on his career. “As a coach in terms of relationships with the players, handling and managing the situation, for me he is one of the best,” Maresca said of his mentor.
“Also, Manuel was the person who convinced me to try to become a coach when I decided to finish playing. So, I always say that in terms of an experience about football, Manuel for me is like a father.”
After the Hammers, it was on to the Manchester City academy where he would help seal the club's first-ever PL2 title, before moving to manage Serie B outfit Parma. But his first steps into a senior coaching role were ended after just 14 matches when he was sacked just six months into the job.
It was then time for a return to City as part of Guardiola's backroom staff that would go on to enjoy the greatest season in the club's history, ending with a historic Champions League final win over Inter Milan.
But he would be on his travels again after just one season when he took charge of English second-tier club Leicester City in June 2023, just six days after City's win over Inter.
His single campaign at the King Power Stadium would see the Foxes secure the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League having finished one point ahead of Ipswich Town, despite being 17 points clear at one stage in the campaign.
But his achievements at Leicester had caught the eye of Chelsea and Maresca was soon off to join “one of the biggest clubs in the world” after just 12 months in the Midlands.
He would replace Mauricio Pochettino in charge at Stamford Bridge – becoming the fourth manager since American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital took over the club in May 2022 – after signing a five-year deal.
It looked like a good fit for club and coach after Maresca guided a youthful Chelsea side to fourth place in the table and into the Champions League, before beating Real Betis – coached by Pellegrini – in the Uefa Conference League final.
“Hopefully it can be a starting point to build a winning mentality,” said Maresca. “You need to win games, you need to win competitions. And for sure, the trophy we won tonight is going to make us better.”
Less than two months later, Maresca was celebrating another trophy success after his team defeated European champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final of the expanded Fifa Club World Cup. “For us, it was a great triumph,” said the manager. “Allowing Chelsea fans to wear that world champion patch on their shirts is a source of pride for us.”
But the following season would quickly implode and by December, Maresca was complaining to reporters that he had just went through his “worst 48 hours” at the club, adding that “many people didn't support us”.
On January 1, Maresca was gone after 18 months in charge following the rapid decline in his relationship with Chelsea's owners, amid rumours he was being lined up as replacement for Guardiola and with his team having won just once in seven league games.
After his exit, there was one very vocal supporter for the outgoing coach. “All I can say from my point of view is that Chelsea have lost an incredible manager and an incredible person,” said his old mentor Guardiola.
It is now down to Maresca to prove that Chelsea's loss will be Manchester City's gain.
