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.

Francesco Pio Esposito celebrates his first senior Italy goal against Estonia (@azzurri)

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: ‘Pio has these shots in his locker, he doesn’t surprise me’

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.

LA SPEZIA, ITALY – AUGUST 18: Salvatore Esposito of Spezia celebrates after scoring the determining penalty-kick during a shoot-out in the Coppa Italia match between Spezia Calcio and UC Sampdoria at Stadio Alberto Picco on August 18, 2025 in La Spezia, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

“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.

“We screamed at the goal, and those who weren’t watching the game might have got a bit frightened.”

Salvatore Esposito believes that his brother is receiving better service now that he is playing at a higher level, but points out the fact that his level of opposition has also improved.

“He’s playing with guys who have much more quality, which is an advantage. At that level, they put you in the best position to score, just as the level of opponents, defenders and goalkeepers, also rises.”

Salvatore Esposito believes that his younger brother’s goal against Estonia is typical of his profile.

“It was a great goal, really. But he has these shots in his locker. I’ve seen him score lots of goals like this in training, shooting difficult balls and getting difficult angles and trajectories right. He works hard and always tries to improve.

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 21: Francesco Pio Esposito of Internazionale warms up prior to the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and US Sassuolo Calcio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“We had a video call immediately after the game, Seba and I congratulated him immediately. We arranged to have a meet up and have a family dinner soon. We don’t have much free time, though: Our parents are in Brescia, Seba in Cagliari, me in Spezia and he’s in Milan.”

Pio Esposito may already be beginning to take over the family trophy room.

“My parents keep all of our most important shirts. Seba’s debuts, mine in the national team, some of Pio’s with Inter. The historic shirts are all in the same room. But his might take over now, I hope our mother gets to fill the whole room up with his shirts.”

None of this success comes as a surprise to Salvatore, though.

“It doesn’t surprise me, I know his qualities. He’s a hard worker, people love him and he always listens to advice. I was always sure that he wouldn’t disappoint with time and trust.

“I’m sure that Pio will keep his feet on the ground. He’s not one to get ahead of himself.”