Samuele Inacio’s father Pia says that his son ‘only wanted Italy’ despite numerous attempts from Brazil to get him to switch his international allegiance, but has also urged for calm, warning that ‘this is just the first step’.

Inacio, 18, earned his first cap for the senior Italy national team back in June, under the interim reign of Silvio Baldini, who took a squad made up almost entirely of players he knew from his U21 squad for a pair of friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece.

He has since earned what many feel to believe is his first ‘proper’ call-up to the Italy squad under head coach Roberto Mancini for Nations League fixtures against Belgium, Turkey and France in the September-October international break.

There have been some concerns, however, that Inacio has not featured in any of Mancini’s first three matchday squads this international break. This means that Inacio has not been capped in a competitive international fixture at senior level, and therefore remains eligible to represent his father’s birth nation, Brazil.

Inacio has been included in the matchday squad for Italy’s final Nations League match of the international break at home against Turkey, though. That game kicks off at 19.45 BST and you can follow the action as it unfolds on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Inacio’s father Pia has weighed in on the issue in an interview with La Repubblica on Monday.

Pia was a former Serie A forward himself in the early 2000s after moving to Bergamo to represent Atalanta as a teenager. He would spend six years on the club’s books and would go on to raise his son, Inacio, in Northern Italy.

He says that Inacio has only ever wanted to play for Italy, where he was born and raised and where most of his family and friends live, even if Brazil have made several attempts to get him to switch national teams.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "Inacio ‘only wanted Italy’ despite ‘many’ calls from Brazil, says father Pia" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Gironi & Calendario metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

Editorial Fact-Check & Verification Note: This briefing was curated, corroborated, and synthesized by the Mondiali 2026 Italia Editorial Desk. Readers following "Inacio ‘only wanted Italy’ despite ‘many’ calls from Brazil, says father Pia" are encouraged to review the full primary source coverage linked below for complete historical context, direct quotes, and official statements.