Gabriele Sabatini

Gabriele Sabatini was born in La Spezia, Liguria, on 22 March 1976. He grew up in the Spezia area and started playing in the youth sector of Spezia, the city's professional club. At 14 he joined the youth academy of AC Milan, where he progressed to the Primavera team, and La Nazione later recalled that he never lost his love for the rossoneri.

Sabatini's football education came at Spezia and then Milan. He was called up to Italy's Under 15 and Under 16 selections in a generation that, according to La Nazione, included Alessandro Nesta, Francesco Totti, Simone Inzaghi and Domenico Morfeo. Wikipedia lists three caps for Italy Under 16 in 1991. Details of his schooling have not been made public.

A serious ankle injury stopped him from reaching the top level, but he went on to a long career as a midfield playmaker. According to Wikipedia he played for Castelnuovo Garfagnana (1995 to 1996), Barberino (1996 to 1997), Pisa (1997 to 1998), Viterbese (1998 to 1999), Tempio (1999 to 2000), Cuneo (2000 to 2001), Bergamasca (2001 to 2002), Canavese (2002 to 2003) and Valle d'Aosta (2003 to 2004). He then returned to the Spezia area with Fo.Ce. Vara, Magra Azzurri and Sarzanese, where he spent six seasons and was captain. On 5 October 2008 his Sarzanese beat Spezia away from home, a match local football still remembers.

After retiring as a player he coached Magra Azzurri, winning the Promozione championship, then Ligorna (2016 to 2017), Colli di Luni, Tarros Sarzanese and youth teams in Sarzana. Fezzanese appointed him on 5 June 2017. In 2017 to 2018 the club won the Ligurian Eccellenza, scoring a record number of goals for the league, and returned to Serie D. In 2018 to 2019 he secured a direct Serie D survival without play outs, and he remained for the 2019 to 2020 season, which was interrupted by the pandemic. He left Fezzanese by mutual consent on 28 June 2020. He coached Pontremolese in the Tuscan Eccellenza from November 2021 to March 2022. His last club was Santerenzina, which he took up to the Ligurian Promozione before the team was relegated the following season. In May 2026 he told Quotidiano Sportivo he was stepping away for at least a year.

Sabatini was married to Francesca Rollini and they had two children. He lived with his family in San Terenzo, in the comune of Lerici, in the province of La Spezia. Outside football he worked as a sales agent. In his May 2026 interview he said that balancing coaching with his job and his family had become difficult.

Colleagues and clubs described him as a coach who taught values as much as tactics. La Nazione wrote that he taught rules and values of life alongside fundamentals, and Citta della Spezia said he passed respect for rules and the values of sport on to young players in particular. Fezzanese called him a prepared and winning coach, but above all a man of values, passion and humanity.

Sabatini is remembered as one of the defining coaches of recent amateur football in the Spezia area. His Fezzanese side's record breaking Eccellenza title and Serie D survival are part of that club's history, and his promotion with Santerenzina came in the team of his own home town. Clubs he had played for or coached, from Spezia Calcio to Ligorna and Pontremolese, all paid tribute after his death.

As a coach: Promozione championship with Magra Azzurri; Ligurian Eccellenza championship 2017 to 2018 with Fezzanese, with promotion to Serie D; Serie D survival 2018 to 2019 with Fezzanese; promotion to the Ligurian Promozione with Santerenzina. As a player: Italy Under 16 international (1991).

Several of his post match interviews from his Fezzanese years survive on YouTube, recorded by local outlets such as ideawebtv.it, Riviera Press, Il Nazionale, Casale News and Dilettantissimo. Tele Liguria Sud reported his death on 5 October 2026.

Sabatini died in the night between 4 and 5 October 2026, at the age of 50, after a long illness he had been fighting for some time, according to Corriere della Sera. In his final weeks the illness forced him to stop and he was admitted to hospital in Pisa. The specific illness has not been made public. Spezia Calcio, Fezzanese, Santerenzina, Ligorna, Pontremolese and Forza e Coraggio 1914 issued statements of condolence. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday 8 October 2026 at 11:30 in the Cathedral of Cristo Re, La Spezia.