After his father's death, he was forced to interrupt his career as a player and became
non-commissioned officer. His early career in management started in his town, Vernole. He then worked for
Scorrano before moving to then
Serie C1 side
Casarano, thus turning to professional football. During his 10-year spell there, he signed
Fabrizio Miccoli. He was sporting director of
Lecce from 1998 to 2005, gaining a reputation for scouting and signing new talents such as
strikers Javier Chevantón,
Valeri Bojinov (whom he discovered at the age of 14 while playing for
Pietà Hotspurs),
Mirko Vučinić and
midfielder Cristian Ledesma. In June 2000, he was about to sign
Bulgarian player
Dimitar Berbatov, who would later enjoy successful career. Corvino said in an interview that Berbatov had already underwent a medical, but when it came to signing the contract, the move collapsed, probably due to another request He was replaced by former AS Roma Director, Daniele Pradè. ==References==