No two players exemplify the issues plaguing young Italian footballers better than Salvatore and Sebastiano Esposito, two Inter youth products.
The early stages of the two brothers’ careers mirrored each other, with both starting out at Castellammare before moving to Brescia and then Inter in July 2014. After four years in the Nerazzurri youth system, life soon took Salvatore and Sebastiano Esposito on different paths.
The elder Esposito brother, Salvatore, joined SPAL on a permanent deal after a positive six-month loan spell in 2018. He spent time on loan with Ravenna and Chievo Verona before breaking into the first team in 2020, where he has since made 84 appearances.
Sebastiano Esposito, who is two years younger, remained with Inter and broke into their first team under Antonio Conte, scoring one goal across 10 brief appearances. The future looked brighter for the younger brother, but things have been tough for the Italian forward since then. The 20-year-old has bounced around various clubs on loan, from Venezia and Basel to now Anderlecht.
Whilst Sebastiano Esposito has struggled to find his footing since his initial breakthrough, Salvatore’s hard work in the second division with SPAL is starting to pay off and he was rewarded with his Italy debut by coach Roberto Mancini back in June. His younger brother Sebastiano has seemingly fallen off the radar and pressure is slowly start to mount.