Walter Sabatini

Walter Sabatini (born 2 May 1955) is an Italian former football player turned director of football.

Playing career

A midfielder, Sabatini made his professional debut with Perugia in 1973, playing at Serie B level with the Umbrian club. After a short stint at Varese, he was acquired by Roma in 1976, where he had the chance to make his Serie A debut. He successively returned to Perugia, where he was prevented from playing because of a muscular injury that did not allow him to play any games for two years, including a season with no appearances at Palermo. After two years of inactivity, Sabatini found himself out of the limelight and spent the following years playing in the lower ranks of Italian professional football before retiring in 1984.

Coaching and non-playing career

Early years

In 1986, he returned to Perugia, this time as an assistant coach in the youth system. He was then promoted to youth sector chief in 1990 and first-team assistant to head coach Paolo Ammoniaci.

In 1992, he went on to join Lazio, where he served as youth sector chief together with Giuseppe Dossena and Roberto Ottaviani. In 1994, he was appointed director of football of Triestina. In 1998, he left Triestina to become director of football at third division side Arezzo, with Serse Cosmi as head coach. Both men left Arezzo in 2000 to join Perugia.

Director of football at Lazio

In 2004, Sabatini left Perugia to become director of football at Lazio. He worked for four years at Lazio and was instrumental in signing players such as Aleksandar Kolarov, Valon Behrami, Fernando Muslera, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Modibo Diakité, Ștefan Radu, Libor Kozák and Luis Pedro Cavanda.