Former Roma director Sabatini: ‘Luis Enrique would cycle to training, booed for Totti treatment’ | OneFootball

Walter Sabatini, former Roma sporting director, has offered a fascinating insight into Luis Enrique’s solitary year in the Italian capital, revealing that the current Paris Saint-Germain coach was booed by supporters for his uncompromising treatment of Francesco Totti, and that he accepted the consequences without hesitation.

According to an interview with Spanish newspaper As, via La Gazzetta, Sabatini described how he first became aware of Luis Enrique through agent Dario Canovi, who told him the Spaniard was eager to leave Barcelona B and test himself as a head coach in Italy.

After sending scouts Frederic Massara and Pasquale Sensibile to observe his methods, Sabatini flew to Barcelona personally and was immediately convinced. “Nobody had ever considered him as a Serie A coach,” he said. “He was a unique figure in Italian football.”

ROME, ITALY – NOVEMBER 22: Francesco Totti( L) and Claudio Ranieri the coach of AS Roma look them during the Serie A match between Roma and Bari at Stadio Olimpico on November 22, 2009 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Luis Enrique’s principled stance on Totti cost him his relationship with Roma fans

What followed was a season that left a lasting impression, even if the results, a seventh-place finish and no European qualification, were modest. It was Luis Enrique’s relationship with Totti that defined his time at the club in the eyes of supporters.

“At Roma it works like this: whoever touches Totti commits a mortal sin,” Sabatini said. “Luis Enrique knew perfectly well that putting him in question meant digging his own grave. Despite everything, he did not want to betray his ideals for personal gain. He is a man of great consistency.”

The two men held a mutual respect, with Totti reportedly nicknaming Luis Enrique “Zichichi” – after one of Italy’s most famous scientists, as a mark of admiration. But the coach’s willingness to drop the Roma icon to the bench earned him the wrath of the Giallorossi faithful regardless.

“He did not care what people thought,” Sabatini said. “He pursued his style of football and accepted the price to pay.”

Away from the Totti saga, Luis Enrique’s methods left a profound impression on those inside the club.

Sabatini recalled Daniele De Rossi, a World Cup winner, emerging from training sessions in a state of wonder. “He would come to my office and tell me: ‘In training he develops so many concepts that I feel like I have never played football before,'” Sabatini said. “He was enthusiastic, in love with that type of football.”

The dedication extended to the mundane. Despite living on the opposite side of Rome, Luis Enrique would regularly cycle to the club’s Trigoria training ground, a detail that speaks to the same relentless, self-sufficient character that has since taken him to the summit of club football with PSG.