Salvatore Esposito: ‘Pio doesn’t surprise me, I know his qualities’

Salvatore Esposito, the elder brother of Inter and Italy striker Francesco Pio, says that he is not surprised by his brother’s current trajectory and has explained what makes him such a promising young striker: ‘He has these shots in his locker’. 

Pio Esposito is enjoying a positive start to his first full season in Serie A, having returned from a two-year loan spell in Serie B with Spezia to become a dependable deputy to Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez in the Nerazzurri first-team. 

The 20-year-old has also earned his first caps for the Italy national team this season, and marked his second senior appearance with a goal off the bench during Saturday’s 3-1 win away against Estonia. 

Recent reports suggest that he could be in line for a full national team debut when Italy take on Israel in Udine on Tuesday night. 

Salvatore Esposito, the oldest of the three Esposito brothers, spoke about Pio’s qualities and background in an in-depth interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday. 

The 25-year-old, currently playing with Spezia in Serie B, admitted that he was slightly too busy to watch Saturday’s game between Estonia and Israel in full. 

“I was at an event at our football academy in Brescia,” Salvatore Esposito admitted. “Sebastiano was there as well, we watched the game on our phones. We got so excited when Pio scored. He’s bringing us so much joy. There is true love between us.