Juan Sabas Huertas Lorente (born 13 April 1967) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward, currently a manager.
Playing career After starting out with local teams, Madrid-born Sabas went on to play as a senior for Rayo Vallecano, Atlético Madrid (where he was used mainly as a substitute), Real Betis, CP Mérida, Albacete Balompié, Real Balompédica Linense, Hércules CF and Ciudad de Murcia, finishing his 17-year career with Galáctico Pegaso and retiring at the age of 35.
Sabas won two Copa del Rey trophies with Atlético. In the 1991 final, he played 34 minutes of the 1–0 win against RCD Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium after replacing the injured Paulo Futre.
Sabas appeared in 196 La Liga matches over nine seasons, and scored 34 goals. In the Segunda División, he added 82 games and 17 goals.
Coaching career Sabas returned to Atlético in early 2009 as part of former teammate Abel Resino's coaching staff, having already worked with him in that capacity at Ciudad de Murcia and Levante UD. His first managerial experience occurred with UD San Sebastián de los Reyes during the 2013–14 season, and he later became a director of football at that club.
On 29 December 2016, Sabas was appointed head coach at Extremadura UD of the third division, being sacked the following 1 August. He returned to the Estadio Francisco de la Hera on 1 May 2018, helping to achieve a first-ever promotion to the second tier; on 10 November, however, he was again dismissed.
Sabas was appointed by Córdoba CF on 10 March 2020, after the dismissal of Raül Agné. On 1 December, after only six matches, he was relieved of his duties.
On 24 October 2023, after nearly three years of inactivity, Sabas was named manager of UD Melilla in the Primera Federación. In March 2024, with his side in the relegation zone, he was fired.
Sabas took over fellow third-tier Zamora CF on 4 July 2024. He missed a play-off spot in his first season by six points, but was sacked on 3 November 2025.
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure TeamNatFromToRecord SS Reyes1 July 201330 June 2014Extremadura29 December 20161 August 2017Extremadura1 May 201810 November 2018Córdoba10 March 20201 December 2020Melilla24 October 20234 March 2024Zamora4 July 20244 November 2025Total —
Honours Player Atlético Madrid Copa del Rey: 1990–91, 1991–92
Ciudad de Murcia Tercera División: 2000–01
References
External links