ROMELU LUKAKU showed his classy side by denying himself a hat-trick to give his 17-year-old team-mate the chance to make history.
The Belgian striker, 26, had the ball in hand when Inter were awarded a penalty just after the hour mark in their clash with Genoa on Saturday.
Romelu Lukaku handed the ball over to Sebastiano Esposito to score on his full Inter debutCredit: EPA
Already with one goal to his name and his side 2-0 up, though, Lukaku gifted it over to Sebastiano Esposito in a lovely gesture. The pair are understood to be close friends, with some describing the teenager as like a “little brother”.
Other footage appeared to show Lukaku ask the crowd who they wanted to take the penalty and they called for “Sebo” – so the former Manchester United man duly responded.
Esposito, born in July 2002, was making his full debut for the Italian giants and made no mistake, firing his powerful effort into the bottom corner.
Unsurprisingly, the teenager was quick to thank Lukaku for the present.
He told Sky Sport Italia: “I found myself in sync with Romelu right away, he’s a fantastic person who’s always looking to help me.
“He reassured me a lot by saying that everything would go alright and I’m so happy to have scored.
“It’s been a fantastic week, I can’t lie, I didn’t sleep a lot thinking about how this game would go. I’d like to thank the team, the coach, the club and Romelu especially for the goal.
“He’s a fantastic person and an extraordinary player. He told me to be sure of myself when I stepped up to strike the ball and to score.”
And Inter’s Twitter account also hailed the £73million man, writing: “Goal machine, aerial threat, all-round nice guy… A real touch of class from @RomeluLukaku9”
The goal meant Esposito became the youngest Serie A goalscorer in Inter’s history at the age of 17 years five months and 19 days.
Aldo Campatelli was five months older when he scored against Juventus, way back in February 1937.
Mario Corso was 16 years ten months and 18 days old when he scored in the Coppa Italia in July 1958, making him Inter’s youngest-ever goalscorer.
Mario Balotelli was a month younger than Esposito when he netted in December 2007 in the Coppa Italia win over Reggina.
Plenty of other players, including on-loan Bayern Munich star Philippe Coutinho and Obafemi Martins, were 18 when they scored their first goal for the club.
Lukaku bagged his second with 20 minutes remaining to complete the 4-0 rout and took his tally for the season to 18 in all competitions.
Inter remain top of Serie A with 42 points from 17 matches, level with Juventus but ahead on goal difference.
The 17-year-old made no mistake, firing into the bottom corner past the Genoa goalkeeperCredit: Getty Images – Getty
He thanked Lukaku for his generous gesture, which appeared to be prompted by the home fansCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Parachutist lands on the pitch as Lukaku takes a penalty for Inter
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
