Who is Matteo Manassero’s wife? Meet Francesca Apollonio

He was a teenage phenom who is on the comeback trail after a slump in form – but who is Matteo Manassero’s wife? 

The Italian lit the golf world on fire in 2010 when, just a few months after his 17th birthday, he became the youngest ever winner on the European circuit with victory at the Castello Masters in Spain before going on to win the Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.

He followed it up with wins at the Maybank Malaysian Open in 2011, the Barclays Singapore Open in 2012, and the BMW PGA Championship just days after turning 20 in 2013.

That Wentworth victory sent Manaserro’s stock sky high, with multiple major victories and Ryder Cup appearance destined over the next decade.

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Instead, though, he lost his form and dropped outside the top 1,800 in the world rankings – the lowest of his career

But in 2020 a victory on the Alps Tour began something of a comeback, while wins at the Copenhagen Challenge and Italian Challenge Open paved a way back to the big leagues.

And he credits his wife for much of it…

Who is Matteo Manaserro’s wife?

Francesca Apollonio is a personal trainer and the pair met in 2017. They married in 2022.

Francesca caddied for Manassero for those two Challenge Tour victories in 2023, and in his DP World Tour blog he described her as “a big help both weeks, putting me in the right frame of mind, offering me the right perspective on the situation, and not getting too involved in shot selection”.

He added: “Put simply, she was just there for me. You smile together, you laugh, you talk, and there is more to just being extremely intense and focused on the outcome of every shot, which at least for me can become a little bit too much.

“Those factors helped me perform, made me bring out my A-game in difficult circumstances.”

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Manassero did confirm, however, that Francesca “isn’t going to become a full-time caddie for me”.

He confirmed: “It just wouldn’t be the right balance for us, but there are certainly things I have learned that I need from a caddie going forward that I probably wouldn’t have considered before.

“I’ve realised that having someone alongside me who keeps me in a relaxed mindset is massive for the flow and freedom of my game.”