Goals and a great match against River Plate have convinced the club. The forward will stay with the Nerazzurri. Esposito calls it “the most emotional day of my life, not just football-related.”
We witnessed the convergence of present and future. We saw a player who has everything it takes to become a key figure for Inter and the Italian national team in the coming years. Pio Esposito will never forget Seattle, the Lumen Field – a stadium designed for American football that suddenly became exhilarating for Italian soccer too. The kind of soccer from our homeland that has always produced great centre-forwards. Pio follows in that tradition. He`s a guy turning 20 tomorrow, and against River Plate – in a match with an intensity rarely seen at our latitudes, which qualified Inter for the round of 16 (against Fluminense on Monday) – he looked as comfortable as on his home sofa. We saw him play like a dad with his son in the garden, with disarming serenity, a total awareness of his abilities. Chivu is right to praise him while also saying “we must not make the same mistake with him as we did with others.” Everyone`s thoughts went to Mario Balotelli. But there are already enough elements to say these are two different stories. Inter will keep him: forget a loan move, next season Esposito will be part of the squad alongside Lautaro, Thuram, Bonny, and perhaps a fifth forward.
VIDEO: Inter-River Plate, Pio Esposito drives fans wild: social reactions
Quality
In Seattle, Pio devoured River Plate: Gallardo`s defenders never understood him. Anticipated. Stopped. Maybe FIFA will finally manage to match his face to the correct name, as he was announced with his brother Sebastiano`s name upon entering the field in Seattle. Pio didn`t even notice. It was an old-fashioned game, kicks and not just football: for example, after just a few minutes, Esposito suffered a very hard tackle from behind, the kind old-school defenders used to intimidate youngsters. But he just shrugged it off. After the match, he said: “The truth is, I like games like this, they suit my characteristics better. I play with my body, protect the ball, and help the team move up; the coach specifically told me to exploit these qualities.” And exploit them he did. In a game played almost everywhere on the field man-to-man, Pio made the difference. He possesses a rare, indeed decidedly uncommon, quality: the ability to combine an imposing physique – 191 centimeters – with technical skills and proficiency in controlling the ball. “People think he`s only good in the box, but that`s not true, he`s good everywhere, he holds up in duels all over the field,” Chivu said of him. “I`ve known him since he was shorter than me: this performance is a reward for his intelligence.”
VIDEO: Inter, Pio Esposito: “Being here with my brother Sebastiano is like being home. And our parents…”
Youngsters at the Top
In recent weeks, Inter genuinely considered completing the youngster`s development by sending him on loan in Serie A. But as the days passed, the second option – keeping him in the squad – gained momentum. Because, if 18-year-olds play regularly in big clubs around Europe, why can`t it happen here too? The Nerazzurri management asked themselves this question. Moreover, he and Carboni – along with Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund – are two of the three youngest goalscorers in this World Cup. So, Pio stays. And he will get playing time, especially where there was a void behind `ThuLa` (Thuram-Lautaro). “Imagine if we had him instead of Taremi during the season…”: truly, there isn`t a single person – inside or outside Inter – who didn`t think this watching him against River. The movement with which he controlled the ball with his right foot, turned, left Diaz behind, and then found the corner was entirely reminiscent of Luca Toni. “This is definitely the most beautiful and emotional day of my life, not just from a footballing perspective,” Pio then said. “After the final training session, I found out I would play. I didn`t sleep much the night before; I imagined in every way what it would be like, how I could score, because I knew that playing with these champions, an opportunity was bound to come sooner or later. But then when I saw the ball go in, I didn`t understand anything anymore; it was almost shocking. I saw Lautaro celebrating, so I told myself `it`s all real!`” I`m incredibly proud and happy.” And so is his brother Sebastiano, who didn`t want to miss a minute of his brother`s joy, the first person he hugged after the goal. Seba even accompanied him to the press room, sat down, and savoured Pio answering questions: “The flexing celebration is mine; I used to do it at Spezia too. This performance is the result of the work done over the last two years. I thank Chivu, my teammates. And Lautaro: with someone like him nearby, everything is easier.” He should get used to it: “But I just want to keep doing what I did here in Seattle, taking advantage of the opportunities I`m given.” It`s hard to do better than that.
