Francesco Pio Esposito insists he cannot thank Cristian Chivu enough for helping him launch his career at Inter Milan.
Speaking to InterTV via FCInterNews, the 20-year-old thanked the Inter boss for helping him grow both on and off the pitch.
Francesco Pio Esposito is a star in the making.
More importantly, Cristian Chivu has recognized his talent and urged Inter not to consider offers for him in the summer.
Despite receiving a substantial €40 million bid from Napoli, the San Siro giants listened to their manager.
Indeed, Inter turned down Napoli’s approach, granting Chivu an opportunity to work with Esposito again.
The Romanian coached the prodigious striker in the youth ranks.
However, this is their chance to reunite at the senior level, with Esposito keen to repay Chivu’s trust.
Following a scintillating season at Spezia, the Italian center-forward is ready to shine in Serie A.
Inter Milan Starlet Francesco Pio Esposito Grateful to Cristian Chivu
Esposito still remembers the day he joined Inter from Brescia as a kid.
“I joined Inter at the age of nine,” he reminisced. “Indeed, I remember very well the goal I scored against Torino in a semifinal at Comacchio.
“I had a coach, Davide Aggio, who passed on to me the principles and values of Inter.
“He made sure to tell us that ‘when you are at Inter, you are in the elite.’
“This sentence stuck with me. He passed on to us the winning mentality that you need to have at this club.”
Then, he met Chivu at the U19 level.
“After six months in which we were not doing very well, some things changed,” Esposito continued.
“The coach gave me the responsibility of the captain’s armband. It happened in Cagliari in a match where the captain was missing.
“In that match, I scored a hat-trick, and from there I wore it until the end of the season.
“It is a responsibility that helped me grow a lot; I will never stop thanking the coach who gave me so much.”
Superb Season in Serie B & Return to San Siro
Esposito was the second-best scorer in Serie B last term, but it wasn’t enough for Spezia to secure promotion.
“It was my first personal recognition,” he added. “It was a very important emotion.
“The two years at La Spezia were unforgettable, fundamental for my growth.
“There were many first times, so I want to thank coach D’Angelo, who was very important to me, as well as all my teammates and all the people at the club.
“They allowed me to take off and fulfill the dream of wearing the Inter shirt again.”
Therefore, he returned to San Siro immediately at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Moreover, he scored against River Plate at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, showing Chivu was right to trust him.
“I scored my first goal with the first team,” Esposito stated. “And I still find it hard to realize it.
“Sometimes I think back to that moment; it was a very strong emotion. If you notice, after the goal there is a moment in which I am disoriented.
“This shows how strong the emotion was. Wearing this shirt again is a dream come true.”
Meanwhile, he explained his trademark celebration.
“It was born with a teammate at Spezia, Petko Hristov,” Esposito claimed.
“From Inter Primavera to Spezia, I had a very important physical transformation.
“He was the teammate I stayed with in the gym after training.
“It all started as a joke; the first time I did it was in Spezia-Venezia, and then I kept it as my celebration because I liked it.”
Number Choice & National Team
Esposito chose the number 94 when he returned from his loan spell.
Asked why that number specifically, he replied: “My neighborhood is called ‘Ciceron 94.’
“I wanted to dedicate it to my neighborhood and the pitch where my brothers and I grew up.
It is the place where everything started.”
He also outlined his dream of wearing the Italy jersey.
“It is the dream of every child who starts playing with a ball to wear the shirt of their favorite team and the national team.
“It is a dream I want to realize and touch with my own hands.”
In the meantime, he reminisced about his past.
“Castellammare di Stabia is a city to which I am very attached; I will never forget my origins,” Esposito admitted.
“I lived there until I was six, then I moved to Brescia with my whole family to chase the football dream together with my brothers.
“And I go back there as soon as I can during the holidays.”
Finally, he explained his and his brothers’ passion for the game.
“We had just arrived, we wanted to live this dream with the passion that unites us and that our father passed on to us.
“Our only thought since we were children has always been the ball; now we are lucky and privileged to have reached the point of playing this dream.
“I have a wonderful relationship with both my brothers.
“With Salvatore, I played two years at La Spezia, so naturally, there were some more arguments.
“With Seba, I always talk about how the football season is going. We push each other to improve.”
Under Inzaghi there’s no way in hell he would’ve been given the chance. No way
Watched Benfica few times, they got a rwb Bosnian Amar Dedic, was the captain of Red Bull Salzburg with 22 years before joining them. Fast as fck, plays smart, great passing, dribbling and crossing. Defense play awesome. Value 12 mil. peanuts, seems like a great potential signing.
and you think director don’t see him. everything is not about speed.
Our future.
shame the other two are not same level, would be amazing to have 3 brothers in team, imagine the sacrifice they would offer to every game
Considering Salvatore is 2 years in a row one of 5 best players in seria B, he can be starter for any mid-table team. And can be better substitute for us than Asllani, Mhiki or always injured Zielinski, maybe even Hakan if he continues to have frequent injury problems or if form continues to go downward. For Diouf can’t say, he just came.
Diouf will likely be a flop, and Salvatore is not good enough. But I have high hopes that Stankovic will be able te replace Hakan next season. His stats are promising. I am also curious about Carboni, whether he will be able to find a place at Inter or not.
And you pulled that info outta????? Exactly. Relax with flop this and that. Stankovic will come back next year and replace miki.
Forza Inter and stop with the negativity. Support your team
Diouf played ten minutes and you’re calling him a flop? Go support another team
I would’ve love if Chivu slowly transition his play to 4 back. Had enough of 3 centrebacks, next season would be right time to change fully, considering a lot of players will leave either on free or be sold. Too much is expected of wingers, to cover both offense end defense, to run constantly, that’s why Dimarco looked tired towards the end.
..and Stankovic scored vs. Rangers. Hopefully he’ll continue like this.