Enzo Maresca goes viral with his response to how hard is life for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi

Enzo Maresca goes viral with his response to being asked about how hard is life for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.

The Chelsea manager said that the outcast players Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi have easier lives compared to his 75-year-old father, a fisherman for five decades.

Sterling and Disasi are currently training away from the senior team with no chance of reintegration, as confirmed in Maresca’s press conference.

Sterling and Disasi both failed to seal a transfer away from the club over the summer transfer window despite Chelsea being open to selling the unwanted pair.

The Professional Footballers’ Association is ensuring Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi have proper training facilities until the January transfer window, despite their exclusion from the first team, to maintain optimal training conditions.

The union is also reminding clubs of FIFA’s strict rules against isolating players, which could be deemed “abusive conduct,” potentially allowing players to terminate their contracts with “just cause.”

Sterling hasn’t made an appearance for Chelsea since May 2024 and had a spell out on loan at Arsenal last season.

Sterling revealed the ‘brutal reality’ of life in Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’ in a post on Instagram…

The PFA have contacted Chelsea regarding the treatment of Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling.

The pair have been training away from the first team squad and are said to no longer have a future at the club. pic.twitter.com/5DaHBt8dXD

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 18, 2025

“My father is 75-year-old and has been a fisherman for 50 years, this is hard – not being a player”

Enzo Maresca compares the situations of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi to his father 🔵 pic.twitter.com/JWLsK3SqQZ

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 19, 2025

Enzo said: “I’ve been in a Raheem’s situation and Axel’s situation as a player and for sure I know that is not the best feeling for a player because if you are a player that means that you want to train and play a game.”

“But then for different reasons the situation is the situation that is in this moment and I know that the club is giving them the opportunity to work in the right way and this is the only thing I can say.”

Journalist: “From the outside, from what we’ve heard, know, training separately, eating separately, not being a part, it seems quite extreme. Are you not worried about the long-term effect? I mean, what effect did that have on you when you were told to be by yourself and absolutely not be a part of what they signed up to be a part of?”

Enzo replied: “No, but I think I know that it’s something that probably you like and you want to talk about that.

“But it’s not just Chelsea, it’s any club in the world, I can promise you. Italy, Spain, England, France, USA, Brazil, any club in the world.

“When for any reason the player and the club doesn’t find any solution, you give the player all the tools to do training session and to do everything.

“But if you are not involved in the squad, you are not involved in the squad. Again, I know that it’s something that you like to talk about.

“But it’s not about Chelsea, it’s about any club in the world.”

Journalist: “I know but it’s about the human at the centre of this, isn’t it?”

Enzo added: “Like their health, their mental health. My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he has been a fisherman, working from 2 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock in the morning. This is art in life, not a player the way they work.”

🤷 "Footballers have feelings"

❌ "That can destroy someone, it's gone too far"

Alan Brazil blasts Chelsea for their treatment of Raheem Sterling 🔥#RaheemSterling #ChelseaFC #CFC #talkSPORT pic.twitter.com/wEOF0kO38o

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 19, 2025

Here’s how fans reacted as Enzo Maresca goes viral with his response to how hard is life for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi…

@JakeBurns4: Absolutely bang on

@CBlack88: Having been a fisherman for 4 hours the other week I can totally agree with Maresca it’s fucking horrendous

@EmmyDelucas: Maresca’s response to Sterling & Disasi’s situation takes us back to Lukaku’s book.. painting a picture on how he suffered yet In actual sense that wasn’t close to a hard life.. Disasi & Sterling are being paid & provided with the needed facilities. That’s a good life. Move on!

@Ashlee_Hyde: Fully agree with Enzo, im a groundworker and id love to be paid the money those two are on and just do training. Footballers thi k they are so hard done by sometimes, a dose of reality would be a good thing, also if they truly wanted to play come to @lcfc for 30k a week

@JossRT31: Well said Enzo. This society is so fucking soft its painful. Her questioning was fucking embarrassing. Going on like their 5/6yo kids at school not grown multi millionaire adults. And why pretend this is new? Its happened at every club, every level for decades! Woke nonsense.

@DebsSZN: These are the real struggles. Not someone who’s earning £300k complaining about being left out of the team.

@joeyhickman91: Go on Maresca. Handled that solidly. Why’s it only Chelsea getting the brunt because Sterling posted a silly insta picture. Geezers living life rn. Get over it.

@cfcest1905: I actually love Enzo more and more by the week. It’s ridiculous this whole thing. Like he said, why are just Chelsea getting accused of this? Sterling and Disasi were both offered chances to leave in the summer. They didn’t leave for their own reasons (£££). It’s on them partly

@hazza_lines: Maresca you can only feel is right here. Yes there’s a human element to it, but I’m sure these players have had opportunities to move elsewhere if they ‘really’ wanted to. They’re not being hard done by. If they really wanted to move I’m sure their moves would have been…

@ScottEaglen: The reporter here. Christ. ‘Do you not think that’s a bit extreme’ Have we lost our collective minds? They’re bot part of the plans. That’s it. I wouldn’t want their negativity anywhere near the first team. The cheek of it honestly.

@JRSobers: My fucking gaffer. What you mean about the mental health of multi-millionaires that are surplus to requirement after underperforming and rejecting numerous opportunities to leave this summer? Cut it out.

@Daniel_Evans56: Something I can agree on. Fed up of this mental health narrative around football players. The average person these days are so soft. Getting paid 200 plus grand a week to train and not play isn’t exactly hard. They’ve had opportunities to leave.