Cagliari and Esposito Featured in “Champions of Made in Italy”

Sebastiano Esposito is the featured player in the “Champions of Made in Italy” format. The Rossoblù forward, who has recorded 8 goals and 6 assists this season, spoke about his passion for football, which began in childhood, and his relationship with his family, a fundamental element in his personal and professional growth.
Champions of Made in Italy is an international promotion project supported by Lega Serie A, MAECI (the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), and ICE (the Italian Trade Agency), aimed at showcasing Italian excellence around the world. The project recently stopped in Sardinia to highlight one of the island’s outstanding sectors: the Agro production chain, focusing on honey and saffron in collaboration with the agricultural association Coldiretti and UNAPI/Conapi.

Here is an excerpt from the words of the number 94:

PASSION AND IDENTITY
““I chose Cagliari because it is a place full of passion. People here live for football, and I really like places like that. I love the warmth of the fans, stepping onto the pitch and seeing a packed stadium. And then there’s the sea and the sunshine. For someone like me, born in Castellammare, it’s something wonderful. I have a strong connection with my homeland, and I found that same feeling here on the Island among its people. I’m an atypical footballer. I like to find space and create problems for opposing defenses, move across the entire attacking line, and chase opponents to help my teammates defensively. But what I enjoy most is having the ball at my feet. It excites me, it’s fun: trying plays, even the most difficult ones, is part of who I am. Generally, I like to operate in the area between the opponent’s penalty box and the center circle, often starting from the left side. The goal is to score or provide assists, creating chances for my teammates”.

ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAMS
“For me, football is everything. I was born with a ball at my feet. As I always say, my brothers and I were raised on bread and football. Pio became a powerful striker, thanks also to his physical build, a classic number nine. Salvatore started as a winger, with outstanding technique and vision, so it was natural for him to become the team’s playmaker. We came from a difficult economic and personal situation. We owe everything to football; football is our life. It was our only goal, and we achieved it. The distance between our neighborhood pitch and professional football? We had to travel a very long road to get here, so I’d say it was huge. But at the same time, it was small. Because what connects that little pitch where we played as children to the stadiums we play in today is our passion for football. The passion has always been the same. What would I say to little Sebastiano? To always chase his dreams. When you’re young, it can be hard to believe in them because they seem unreachable. But you must always believe in your dreams, give 100% to whatever you do, and always keep your feet on the ground”.

TALENT AND SACRIFICE
“There has to be a foundation of talent, but talent alone is not enough. To reach professional football, you need determination and the right mindset. Not everyone can turn that sense of responsibility toward their work into action. And you always need a little bit of luck too. When we were kids playing on our neighborhood pitch, there was plenty of talent around. But there are many factors involved: luck, mentality. You can make choices, but sometimes, unfortunately, you can make the wrong ones as well. There are so many elements that contribute to becoming a top-level footballer. My brothers and I could never have imagined, as children, that one day we would be playing on such prestigious stages. We knew we had talent, we worked hard, but our parents guided us throughout the journey. They were the cornerstone of our growth and our path. The number 94 is special to all of us. It represents our neighborhood, “Ciceron 94”. That is where our roots are. It reminds us of our childhood and where we come from. For us, it is the most beautiful neighborhood in the world. There are many challenges there, and we always want to stay close to the people of our neighborhood. My dream? To reach the highest level possible. Every young player dreams of representing the national team. My brothers have already fulfilled that dream, and I hope I can achieve it too. Football gives you so much, but at the same time it takes something away. It makes you grow up faster. I’m only 23 years old, yet I’ve already lived in ten different cities. It’s difficult to build friendships and strong relationships with people. I consider myself fortunate to have my brothers”.

The video interview, produced at the Lega Serie A International Broadcast Centre and directed by Dario Baldi, is distributed worldwide through the more than 60 broadcasters that air Serie A across over 200 territories.