 Despite relatively old age for a professional debut, he managed to have played for several Serie C teams such as Entella, Spezia, Viareggio and Empoli.After nearly a decade of lower-tier football in Italy, he retired in 1993 and remained at Empoli as a coach.Spalletti's early career in management led him to struggling Empoli, where he was head coach between July 1993 and June 1998.