[2][3][4] Corini began his career in the Brescia youth squad, but by age 16, he was called up to be included in the first team, making his debut the following season.

[2] Corini joined Palermo in 2003, helping them win the 2003–04 Serie B league title, followed by 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA).

In May 2009, Corini confirmed his retirement as a player after he failed to recover from a recurring Achilles tendon injury that forced him to have surgery, causing him to miss the final part of the season, which saw Torino being relegated to Serie B.

[10] Unexpectedly, Corini left the club twelve days later, together with director of football Giuseppe Magalini, due to disagreements with the board regarding the transfer market policy and the future plans for the team.

[12] His experience with the Calabrian club turned out to be short-lived, as he was dismissed later on 20 February 2011, following a string of poor results that left Crotone in danger of relegation.

[14] On 2 October 2012, he was named the new head coach of Chievo in place of Domenico Di Carlo, after the team suffered five consecutive defeats in the first six games of the season.

[17] He guided Chievo to maintain their Serie A status by the end of the season and was thus given the job on a permanent basis, but was subsequently sacked on 19 October following a 3-0 defeat to Roma that left the club with four points in seven games.

[21] He returned to management on 18 September 2018, being named new head coach of Brescia, his first club as a player, in place of David Suazo.

[29] On 7 August 2022, Corini agreed to return to Palermo as head coach, signing a two-year contract with the newly promoted Serie B club.