Antonio Cabrini was born in Cremona on 8 October 1957. At the age of 16, he made his debut for U.S. Cremonese in the 1973/74 Serie C season, going on to make three appearances that campaign. He joined Atalanta in 1975, where he had a strong season in Serie B before moving on to Juventus. While at the Bianconeri, he won six Scudetti, two Coppa Italia titles, a Cup Winners’ Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a European Cup and an Intercontinental Cup. After more than a decade of success, he ended his career at Bologna.

At the tender age of 20, he made his debut for the Italian National Team on 2 June 1978 against France during the World Cup in Argentina. He immediately made the left-back position his own, playing every match as the Azzurri ended up finishing fourth overall. On 20 September of the same year, he scored his first goal for the National Team, which came in a friendly against Bulgaria in Turin. He also participated in the Euros in 1980 and the 1982 World Cup in Spain, during which he scored when Italy beat defending champions Argentina. Along with nine other members of that winning team, he took part in the ill-fated 1986 World Cup, inheriting the captain’s armband from Scirea after the tournament held in Mexico. In total, he made 73 appearances for the Azzurri, scoring nine goals, which remains a record for a defender.

After ending his playing career, he entered the world of coaching and took on the important role of Head Coach for the Women's National Team from 14 May 2012 until the summer of 2017, leading the Azzurre during their EURO 2017 campaign in the Netherlands.