Under new Inter manager Christian Chivu, Esposito has featured for 395 minutes across all competitions, including the Club World Cup, and scored twice against Cagliari. Legendary Italian striker Christian Vieri has tipped him to become a top forward in the future, while Chivu praised his all-round qualities, saying Esposito “can do a bit of everything.”
Esposito’s agent believes expectations being placed on the young striker are excessive and sought to downplay the growing hype, saying: “I don’t like to talk about Pio. I don’t like this media hype that’s being created around a very young player. Pio has done his dues, proving he deserves to be in Serie A. I don’t like the way he’s being talked about with too much importance and too much fanfare.”
He added: “He must live his life serenely, without atomic expectations. He’s a very balanced boy, who knows that difficult times will come for him too.”
Esposito made his senior debut for Italy against Estonia in the World Cup qualifiers last month, coming on for six minutes as a substitute after being called up by national team coach Gennaro Gattuso. With the 2026 World Cup less than a year away, fans already expect Esposito to be in the squad and lead the line for Italy in the years to come. However, Giuffredi has urged caution against such expectations
“I’d be cautious and calm in saying that he’ll be the national team’s centre-forward for the next 10 years. He’ll have to prove himself, like all footballers. If that’s the case, it will mean he’s proven himself. We’re trying to instil in him a sense of being down to earth,” he said.
Inter and Italy fans will hope that the hype around Esposito is justified and that he can turn expectations into top-level performances. For now, Esposito remains focused on his development, aiming to secure maximum playing time and learn from experienced strikers like Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
