Italo Schiavi

Italo Schiavi was signed by Lazio but never played for the Biancocelesti.

Source Lazio Wiki

He was born in Colle del Tronto (Ascoli Piceno) on May 26, 1959.

His youth football was played with nearby Sambenedettese and in 1978 he joined the first team squad.

He played with the Rossoblu for four seasons, three in B and one in C. Samb finished 9th, 17th (relegated to C), 1st (promoted to B) and 8th. He played 71 league games with 5 goals. His managers were: Nicola Tribuiani, Lauro Toneatto, Pietro Maroso, Marino Bergamasco and then Nedo Sonetti for two full seasons. His teammates included Lazio connections, Giancarlo Ceccarelli and Massimo Silva plus future top keepers Walter Zenga and Stefano Tacconi.

In the autumn of 1983 he joined Avellino in Serie A. He stayed two seasons and the Irpini finished 9th and 12th. Schiavi played 47 league games with 1 goal (Torino). There were some epic wins; Milan 4-0, Napoli 1-0, Lazio 3-0. The managers were Giuseppe Marchioro and Fernando Veneranda in the first season and Veneranda and Ottavio Bianchi in the second.

In 1984 he signed for Ascoli in Serie A. He played 29 league games but the Bianconeri were relegated, first under Carlo Mazzone and then Mario Colautti (with Vujadin Boškov as T.D). The squad included several Lazio connections: Filippo Citterio, Aldo Cantarutti, Paolo Pochesci and Giuseppe Greco.

In 1985 Schiavi joined Lazio. During the routine medical check-up unfortunately, a cardiac dysfunction was detected and the signing fell through. A tragedy for him and a pity for Lazio as his energy and dynamism would have been useful to Gigi Simoni's side.

Schiavi returned to Ascoli but obviously never played in the 1985-86 season.

He then took a few years out of football. He returned in 1988 playing for amateurs Altidona (Fermo-Le Marche).

In 1989, having resolved his heart irregularities, he went back to Sambenedettese in Serie C1. The Rossoblu were relegated under four different managers (including Bruno Pace and Cané) but Schiavi played 30 league games. He was an athlete again and played alongside former Lazio, Claudio Vagheggi

In 1990-91 he spent a season at Messina in Serie B. The Giallorossi finished 9th under former Lazio Giuseppe Materazzi. Schiavi played 33 league games and 4 in Coppa Italia. His teammates included Lazio connections Ciro Muro and Igor Protti, plus the manager's son and future World Champion, Marco Materazzi.

In 1991 Schiavi took a short ferry ride and joined Reggina in Serie C1. He only played 6 league games under three different managers and the Amaranto finished 9th.

His last club was Monturanese (Fermo) in the fifth tier. He played 10 league games and the Biancazzurri finished 4th in Eccellenza Marche.

Schiavi then retired at 33.

After retiring he had a brief stint as Sambenedettese coach from February 2002 until the end of the season. He paired up with Stefano Colantuono who was still without his full coaching qualifications and the Rossoblu finished 5th in C2 but won promotion via the playoffs.

He then did some scouting for Napoli until 2006 when he returned to Sambenedettese as sporting director.

In 2012 he took over the Ancona youth sector and in 2013 was assistant to the U16s. In 2020 he was involved with scouting for Ancona and in 2023 went back to Sambendettese as a director in the academy.

Schiavi was a midfielder. He was extremely athletic and dynamic, a perpetual runner. After a promising early career with good performances in A with Avellino and Ascoli he was rewarded with a move to Lazio, albeit in B, but unfortunately the strict Italian medical tests blocked his career. Fortunately, he was able to return to professional football some years later but never reached the heights of the early 80's.

Sources

Wikipedia