Man City boss Enzo Maresca admits the night he sank two England managers in one go is highlight of his playing career

ENZO MARESCA admits the night he sank two future England managers in one go ranks as the highlight of his playing career. The new Manchester City boss was part of the Sevilla team who met Steve McClaren’s Middlesbrough in the 2006 Uefa Cup final. Enzo Maresca KO’d Middlesbrough during his Sevilla days – beating Steve McClaren and Gareth Southgate in the progress Credit: Alamy Boro were thumped 4-0 by Sevilla in what turned out to be McClaren’s final game in charge Credit: Reuters It was the Boro chief’s final game in charge before he left to take the Three Lions job a couple of months later. His skipper that night in Eindhoven was Gareth Southgate, who stepped up to be Boro boss after McClaren’s departure. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Maresca started the game and scored two late on in a clash that ended 4-0 to the Spaniards. Former midfielder Maresca, 46, played for 11 clubs over two decades but says that night was one of his most memorable moments. The Italian recalled: “I got two and I could have had a hat-trick. “It was a good team. Dani Alves was there and Adriano. “I remember the Middlesbrough team with Southgate, and McClaren was leaving to go to England. “Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink also played and he mentioned the game when we worked together at Chelsea. Most read in Football SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Southgate was in defence for Boro in the 4-0 defeat in the Uefa Cup final Credit: Getty “Scoring twice in that final was a career highlight. Then after, when you win that trophy you play against the team that wins the Champions League in the Super Cup. “Barcelona had beaten Arsenal 2-1 in Paris so we faced them. Messi was there and we beat them 3-0. And I scored again! So the two European finals probably were the best moments.” Maresca started out as an AC Milan youth-team player and was sad to hear Rossoneri legend Franco Baresi had passed away, aged 66, last month. He said: “There was never a central defender like him but it wasn’t just him — that team had Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Roberto Donadoni, Carlo Ancelotti, Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta. “They won the Champions League and it was the best team. Arrigo Sacchi was manager and at that time he changed football like Pep Guardiola did in the last 20 years.” When he looks back on that golden era in Italian football in the 1990s, he finds it hard to believe his home nation have not made an appearance at the last three World Cups. Maresca added: “The best players, best manager, the best football was in Italy at that time. But now… three World Cups out. “Now we don’t produce enough players and there are too many foreign players who are not at a high level — but they are cheap.” Play Dream Team this season! £100,000 in prize money up for grabs in 2026/27 Free to enter Play in Mini Leagues against your mates £60,000 jackpot for the overall winner £1,000 prize for winning Gameweek 1 PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW! Comment now