Esposito brothers start together for Italy, first since 1915

Pio and Sebastiano Esposito made history on 28 September when they started together in Italy's UEFA Nations League match against Turkey in Bursa, marking the first time two brothers have started for the Azzurri since 1915. The 21-year-old Pio, who had earned 10 caps and scored five goals before the match, was joined by his 24-year-old brother Sebastiano in his senior international debut. Coach Roberto Mancini fielded both players from the opening whistle in a match Italy needed to win after losing 2–0 to Belgium in their campaign opener.

The Esposito brothers are the fourth set of brothers to play together for Italy's senior team, but the first to start from kickoff in over a century. The last brothers to start together were Aldo and Luigi Cevenini on 31 January 1915, in a 3–1 victory over Switzerland; Aldo and Luigi scored all three Italian goals in that match. More recently, Filippo and Simone Inzaghi played together on 15 November 2000 against England, but Simone came on as a substitute in the 61st minute while Filippo was replaced in the 72nd, sharing only 11 minutes on the pitch.

Pio plays for Inter Milan, where he had a breakout season, while Sebastiano joined Sassuolo on loan from Cagliari over the summer. Both brothers had previously been selected together for Italy's Under-21 squad in 2025. The achievement is part of a broader family milestone: their older brother Salvatore, 25, played for Italy in a Nations League match against England in 2022, making the Esposito brothers the first trio of siblings to represent Italy at senior level.