For Enzo, the move was to prove another pivotal signpost in his career.
“Yeah, for an Italian player to play with Juventus, it’s like a dream,” he admits.
“When I left Italy to join West Brom I never thought I’d come back one day to join Juventus.
“I knew after a year they were following me at West Brom.
“For me at that time to join Juventus with Zidane, Del Piero, Inzaghi, Davids, Conte, Trezeguet, Thuram, Buffon, it was a great experience because as I always say to the young players, when you are young, you still have time to learn.
“The problem is, when you are not young, they don’t give you the time, they don’t wait for you.
“So, you need to learn as soon as possible and that time was a great experience in terms of learning new things.
“At a big team, first of all there are bigger players in terms of example, responsibility and the way they work, day by day. You can see a big player in terms of that, and Juventus was full of them.”
As well as joining a star-studded dressing room at the Stadio del Alpi featuring such totemic figures as Zidane, del Piero, Pavel Nedved, David Trezuguet and Edgar Davids, Maresca’s football education was also further enhanced by the formidable presence and insight of the legendary Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi who both managed the club in his time there.
Two of the totemic figures in Italian football gave Maresca a fresh perspective on the game – and their impact left an indelible impression on his own approach and philosophy.
“In terms of motivation and leadership, Marcello Lippi in my experience was number one,” says Enzo today.
“Only listening, talking, the motivation was top. And in terms of leadership as well. 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.
“To be honest, I always compare Carlo Ancelotti with Manuel Pellegrini. Having worked with both of them, in terms of managing a team they’re very similar.
“Marcello Lippi’s approach was more direct, but it doesn’t mean better or worse, just different.
“For me both of them were fantastic, you can learn a lot working with them. I’ve always been lucky because I’ve been coached by some great managers."