The young attacker promoted by Chivu to Inter revealed the relationship he has with the Romanian coach: “This photo shows everything”
Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Saturday, April 11, 2026, 12:41 / Updated Saturday, April 11, 2026 12:41
Pio Esposito (20 years old), the striker who was introduced by Cristi Chivu (45 years old) to Inter's first team, revealed the close relationship he has with the Romanian technician, who also trained him in the Nerazzurri's junior team.
In the previous two seasons, Esposito was loaned to Spezia in Serie B, where he made 77 appearances, scoring 22 goals and providing 3 assists.
Returning from loan at the end of last season, Chivu convinced Esposito to stay at Inter and the young Italian forward has amassed 29 Serie A appearances, scoring 6 goals and providing 4 assists.
Esposito still has a goal in 3 Coppa Italia games, and in the Champions League the striker has two goals and two assists in 9 appearances.
Pio Esposito revealed the relationship he has with Cristi Chivu: “I owe her a lot”
Pio Esposito gave an extensive interview to “Corriere della sera” and was asked about his relationship with Cristi Chivu, at which point he took out his phone and showed Italian journalists a photo of the two of them from the time when the Italian striker was trained by the Romanian technician at Inter's junior team.
Photo with Pio Esposito and Cristi Chivu / Photo: Corriere della sera
“This photo of me celebrating my goal in the U14's 3-1 derby win shows how long we've known each other. I owe him a lot for the confidence he had in me, especially last summer“.
Asked if he would have stayed at Inter if the team had been taken over by another coach, Esposito replied: “I can't say. Maybe it would have been more complicated. Chivu definitely has an affinity for young players, he already knew me for a long time.”
45million euros is Pio Esposito's current market share
Serie A standings
