Materazzi thanks Chelsea and Maresca for beating PSG in Club World Cup Final | OneFootball

Former Inter defender Marco Materazzi thanks Enzo Maresca and Chelsea for ‘avenging’ Inter’s defeat in the Champions League Final against PSG and admits ex-Everton coach Walter Smith treated him like a son.

Italy World Cup winner Materazzi spoke about his time in the Premier League in an interview with Lega Serie A.

Materazzi left Perugia in 1998 to join Everton, where he played for one season before returning to the Stadio Curi.

Materazzi: Everton spell ‘beautiful and difficult’

epa00768064 Italian player Marco Materazzi tries to put a hat over the World Cup trophy after the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Sunday 09 July 2006. EPA/BERND WEISSBROD .

“It was very beautiful and difficult. I went there with my wife and my son, who was eight months old,” admitted the ex-defender.

“We were alone, and I can’t deny that I would have stayed in Perugia because we had won the [Serie B] league. I returned to Perugia, and we were relegated, so I decided to bring the club back to Serie A. We managed to get promoted, and then they sold me to Everton. I told them I wanted to stay as the captain. I was earning very little compared to other players, so I asked to find an agreement to stay, but they said I had to leave, so I packed my bags and went to Liverpool.

“My wife convinced me, she said: ‘It’s going to change our life for the better’, and it’s what happened. I knew that going to England meant I would not be considered for the national team, and that’s the real reason why I returned to Italy.

“I remember everything about my time in England, the coach, who unfortunately is no longer here, Walter Smith. He loved Italy and always brought his teams to Italy for pre-season camp, so that was very helpful. The fact that he loved Italians was helpful because he treated me like a son, and when you go abroad, having someone who supports you and believes in you, not just as a player, but also as a man, helps a lot with settling in.”

A very physical centre-back, Materazzi’s characteristics suited the Premier League’s style in those years.

“Everyone said I had the right skill set to play in the Premier League,” he admitted.

Materazzi thanks Maresca for beating PSG in Club World Cup Final

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JULY 13: Enzo Maresca, Head Coach of Chelsea FC, engages with Gianluigi Donnarumma #1 of Paris Saint-Germain following the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

“Particularly in those years, it wasn’t the forefront of the sport. In those years, the only teams that played the ‘Latin way’ were West Ham, who played very well, Manchester United and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.

“As for the others, when you played Wimbledon, for example, the dressing rooms were small, but the size of the strikers made me look small. However, English football has evolved now and has adapted to the philosophies of the likes of Maresca, Guardiola. Maresca even became World Champion, and I have to thank him for avenging Inter’s defeat in the Champions League Final.”

Maresca’s Chelsea became the first Club World Cup winners earlier this month after beating PSG in the Final played in New York.

The Ligue 1 giants had beaten Inter 5-0 in the Champions League Final in May.

Materazzi returned to Perugia in 1999 and then signed for Inter in 2001. He spent ten years at San Siro, winning several trophies, including five Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia and one Champions League.

Materazzi retired in 2017 after a three-year spell at Chennaiyin.