Sebastiano - The Boy

Inter vs. Borussia Dortmund, a European Cup classic. It is 2019, and Inter are desperately searching for points in the Champions League. They drew their opening home game against Slavia Prague, with Nicolò Barella scoring his first goal in an Inter shirt. Then, in their second match at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, they earned plenty of praise for their courage and for largely dominating the game, but unfortunately came away with no points.

A win is essential, but Dortmund are flying. They held Barcelona to a goalless draw in their opener before cruising to a 2-0 victory in Prague, thanks to a brace from their right wing-back, a 20-year-old Moroccan who is on loan from Real Madrid and making waves. Achraf Hakimi.

Inter strike with their first attack: De Vrij plays a long ball to Lautaro, one of the trademark moves of Antonio Conte’s Inter, and Toro beats the onrushing goalkeeper to score. It is his first Champions League goal at San Siro, and his second in the competition overall, following the stunning strike that opened the scoring at Camp Nou. Inter come under a little pressure, with Romelu Lukaku in particular looking exhausted and perhaps struggling with a physical issue. However, their third striker, Alexis Sanchez, is out injured. Conte has a crazy idea: he brings on Sebastiano Esposito, who is just 16 and a half years old. He becomes the second-youngest player to feature for Inter in the Champions League, behind a certain Giuseppe Bergomi. Usually, these cameo appearances come at the end of a game, when a promising youngster is rewarded once the result is secured. But here, Inter are only 1-0 up and just an hour has been played. This is no reward for a job well done: Esposito has to play a real part in the game. It is no easy task. Dortmund’s defenders are formidable, with two names standing out: Manuel Akanji, a versatile Swiss defender we will hear plenty more about, and Mats Hummels. At 31, he has a World Cup and five German league titles to his name, and has just returned to Dortmund after three years at Bayern Munich. A football institution, not just in Germany. But at 16, Seba is thinking only about running. When a ball comes his way at pace, he does not hesitate. He leaves Hummels behind and gets his body in front of the German, who brings him crashing to the ground.

Lautaro is not as cool from the penalty spot as the script might suggest: Bürki saves, and the rebound falls to Esposito. He has the chance to write himself into Inter legacy. He takes a perfect touch to set himself up, but the nerves kick in and he completely misses the follow-up. Antonio Candreva will eventually banish any lingering doubts, scoring late on to make it 2-0. But that evening, a star seems to have been born. TV features and newspaper articles pour in. The Espositos are a family that lives and breathes football. There is also Salvatore, who plays for Chievo, and the youngest of the brothers, Francesco Pio, 14, who is part of Inter’s youth setup.

Today, Seba Esposito continues to impress in Serie A. Sometimes, when people talk about him, you get the impression he has been around forever and has already shown the best of what he can do. But he is only 23, and his future is still unwritten. His Champions League debut, though, is something everyone remembers. His brothers included.