Esposito: "It's an honour to wear this shirt: I am happy to be here with Pio" | OneFootball

CHARLOTTE - It's the day before Inter vs. Fluminese in the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. It is an important match with a place in the quarter-finals of the global tournament up for grabs: the game will take place at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Monday 30 June at 15:00 (21:00 in Italy).

One of the standouts in Inter's US journey so far is Sebastiano Esposito, back with the Nerazzurri after a season with Empoli. The forward is having a unique experience with his brother Francesco Pio, who scored in the game against River Plate.

Ahead of the match against the Brazilians, Sebastiano spoke to the journalists at the Atrium Health Performance Park in Charlotte:

How are you physically and mentally? There is a clear change in weather here compared to Seattle. "Yes, it was fresher in Seattle, but we have to get used to it and not think about it, as the boss says. We must only focus on the game to do well, as it is a very important match for us".

What is it like to share this adventure with your brother? "Maybe we haven't even realised what we're going through, as he said in the last conference, we will remember it and talk about it for many years. Being in rooms together and seeing him happy is great to see: he had a great game, but has to keep going like this, football is fast and you can forget things in a hurry. However, on a personal level it's great, we didn't expect it and being here is a dream".

How great is it to play with Lautaro? "There are champions here, it is a dream for us. Wearing this shirt is an honour, we are playing with champions: Lautaro, Thuram... I don't want to name anyone else as I would be wronging others".

You could make it to the quarters: how much do you want to get as far as possible? Then maybe your brother Salvatore will have to pay you a holiday? "I fear it will be the other way round. We hope to return as late as possible: for us it is very important to get through the round, this is a global competition".

What will happen after summer? "I am here and I want to do well for this team, which is also the team of my dreams. Then in the future, we will see what happens".

The match against River was tough: how great is it to play these games in this sort of competition? "It is great being in this tournament, we are playing teams from other continents and they all play different football. This is a new experience for me and it is truly great".