Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, 23:15 / Updated on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 23:16
Pio Esposito (20 years old), footballer from Inter and one of the kids promoted by crystal Chivuscored in the 30th minute of the game with Bodo/Glimt from the play-off round for the Champions League round of 16.
Leading 1-0 until that moment, Cristi Chivu's students forced, and even the kid promoted by him managed to score on the synthetic pitch in Norway. Pio Esposito thus became the second youngest scorer of the Nerazzurri in the knockout stages of the competition, according to OPTA.
The record holder still remains Obafemi Martins, the player from Inter in the period 2002-2006.
Pio Esposito scored with Bodo/Glimt and entered Inter history
After Fet managed to open the scoring for the Norwegians in the 20th minute at the end of a phase in which Inter's defense was checkmated, Chivu's men began to press forward. Pio Esposito found himself with the ball at his feet after a confused phase in the box and beat the home keeper.
Pio Esposito's goal was VAR checked for a suspected handball, but the goal was eventually upheld. At halftime the two teams were tied.
Pio Esposito is one of Cristi Chivu's favorites from the Inter squad. The striker is a product of the Nerazzurri academy, where he worked for the first time with the Romanian technician.
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Pio Esposito was promoted to the Inter first team in 2023 and was immediately loaned to Spezia, where he spent two years (79 matches, 22 goals, 3 assists).
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In the summer of 2025 he returned to Inter, and the newly installed Cristi Chivu decided to keep him in the squad for this season. The 20-year-old forward has collected 33 matches, 7 goals and 6 assists this season. He is quoted by specialist websites at 35 million euros and is closely watched by those from Arsenal.
