Esposito outscoring Baggio for Italy and has best goals-per-game since 1970s

Francesco Pio Esposito celebrates with his brother Sebastiano Esposito during Turkiye vs. Italy in the Nations League (@azzurri)

Francesco Pio Esposito scored his sixth goal for the Italy national team during Monday’s 4-1 victory away against Turkey in the Nations League, and is now scoring at a quicker rate than Roberto Baggio for the Azzurri. 

Esposito grabbed Italy’s fourth on the night in an eventual 4-1 victory over Turkey on Monday evening, which takes his international tally up to six goals from 11 caps, giving him an average of 0.55 goals per game for the Azzurri. 

Including all players to have scored at least six goals for Italy, this makes Esposito the 13th-most efficient goalscorer in the history of the national team. It also means he has the best goalscoring record for the Nazionale of any player since the Gigi Riva 1970s. 

Esposito’s rate of 0.55 goals per game for Italy is also better than Roberto Baggio’s record of 0.48 per game. 

* Players to have scored at least six goals for the Italy national team 

1. Annibale Frossi (1936-37), eight goals from five caps – 1.60 goals per game 
2. Omar Sivori (1961-62), eight goals from nine caps – 0.89 goals per game 
3. Julio Libonatti (1926-1931), 15 goals from 17 caps – 0.88 goals per game 
4. Silvio Piola (1935-1952), 30 goals from 34 caps – 0.88 goals per game 
5. Gigi Riva (1965-1974), 35 goals from 42 caps – 0.83 goals per game
6. Giovanni Moscardini (1921-1925), 15 goals from 21 caps – 0.78 goals per game
7. Angelo Schiavio (1935-1934), 15 goals from 21 caps – 0.71 goals per game
8. Gino Rossetti (1927-1930), nine goals from 13 caps – 0.69 goals per game
9. Paolo Barison (1958-1966), six goals from nine caps – 0.67 goals per game
10.  Riccardo Carapelese (1947-1956), 10 goals from 16 caps – 0.63 goals per game
11. Giuseppe Meazza (1930-1939), 33 goals from 53 caps – 0.62 goals per game 
12. Gino Colaussi (1935-1940), 15 goals from 26 caps – 0.58 goals per game 
13. Pio Esposito (2025-), six goals from 11 caps – 0.55 goals per game 
14. Amedeo Amadei (1949-1953), seven goals from 13 caps – 0.54 goals per game 
15. Adolfo Baloncieri (1920-1930), 25 goals from 47 caps – 0.53 goals per game 
16. Pierino Prati (1968-1974), seven goals from 14 caps – 0.50 goals per game
17. Roberto Baggio (1988-2004), 37 goals from 56 caps – 0.48 goals per game
18. Moise Kean (2018-), 13 goals from 27 caps – 0.48 goals per game
19. Ezio Pascutti (1958-1967), eight goals from 17 caps 0.47 goals per game
20. Christian Vieri (1997-2005), 23 goals from 49 caps – 0.47 goals per game