Esposito brothers share landmark Italy appearance

Francesco Pio Esposito and Sebastiano Esposito made history for Italy on Monday when they appeared together in the Azzurri’s 4-1 Nations League victory over Türkiye.

The brothers became only the fourth pair of siblings to play in the same match for Italy, following Filippo and Simone Inzaghi, Aldo and Luigi Cevenini, and Giuseppe and Felice Milano.

Francesco Pio Esposito played a decisive role in the win, scoring and providing an assist. His older brother Sebastiano Esposito also made an impression, registering three shots—the most of any Italy player.

‘Hopefully, we can share the field more often’

Francesco Pio Esposito said he relished the opportunity to play alongside his brother and hoped it would happen again.

“I thoroughly enjoyed playing with Seba. It was his first time, so I tried not to overwhelm him with emotions. We had fun, and I'm happy for his debut,” he told Vivo Azzurro. “Hopefully, we can share the field more often. There was a lot of desire and enthusiasm, which is what you always need when wearing this shirt.”

Sebastiano Esposito described the occasion as emotional, particularly because he was sharing it with his brother.

“Mancini told us to enjoy it... Although it's not easy because of the emotions you feel,” he said. “If you're playing for Azzurri with your brother, it's even more complicated. Mancini explained how we should position ourselves and move. It was beautiful.”

Francesco Pio Esposito reaches another milestone

The victory also saw Francesco Pio Esposito pass five goals for Italy at the age of 21 years and 92 days. Only Giuseppe Meazza, who reached the mark at 19 years and 261 days, and Gianni Rivera, at 21 years and 78 days, did so younger.

Italy’s result was its first away victory by at least three goals since a 3-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in November 2019. It also marked the Azzurri’s first win under Roberto Mancini since a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in June 2023, ending a 1,198-day wait.