Tresoldi's hat-trick at San Siro complicates his international choice
Nicolò Tresoldi scored a hat-trick for Club Brugge against Inter at San Siro, a personal triumph given his boyhood support for Milan, but says the night has not pushed him toward Italy or Germany.
Nicolò Tresoldi scored three goals as Club Brugge beat Inter at San Siro in the Champions League, becoming only the second player after Gareth Bale to register a hat-trick against the Nerazzurri in the competition at that stadium, according to Football Italia.
The 22-year-old, who was born in Italy before his family relocated to Germany when he was young, arrived for his post-match interview on Sky Sport Italia still clutching the match ball, grinning throughout.
A Milan fan's night at Inter's expense
What gave the performance an extra layer was Tresoldi's allegiance: he has supported Milan since childhood, making a starring role in beating their fiercest rivals feel, in his own words, personal.
"I'm almost more anxious now than I was before kick-off," he said, describing the occasion as "incredible, indescribable," and admitting he had pictured a night like this many times before but never expected to actually deliver three goals and a win at San Siro, with his family and friends watching from the stands.
He revealed that Milan supporters had messaged him before kick-off urging him to score and win, and said that while his primary satisfaction was for Club Brugge and Belgian football as a whole, the fixture had carried the weight of "a bit of a derby for me."
The hat-trick took his tally to nine goals in nine games this season, having arrived at San Siro with six in eight, including a single Champions League goal before Monday's three.
Italy or Germany, still undecided
Tresoldi has represented Germany at every youth level, yet has never committed to them at senior level, and Football Italia reports he remains genuinely open to representing Italy instead.
He pushed back on reports suggesting a decision has already been made, saying some claims circulating were simply untrue, and that he remains content with his development in Germany while weighing his options.
He described having held conversations with figures from both camps, naming Jurgen Klopp and Roberto Mancini among them, alongside representatives of the Italian and German federations, and said each side understood his position.
He pointed out that he speaks Italian at home and was born in Italy, reinforcing that the connection to this country runs deeper than geography alone, while stressing he is currently enjoying his run with Germany's Under-21 side ahead of a European Championship that his father once won with Italy, a trophy he now has his own eye on.
Asked whether the hat-trick changes his calculations, he suggested only that it has boosted his belief in his own ability, noting there remain better strikers than him in both countries, rather than signalling any shift in his international allegiance.
How Brugge dismantled Inter's low block
Beyond the personal narrative, Tresoldi's account of the performance pointed to a clear tactical plan: Brugge set out to press Inter high, reasoning that the Italian side are more comfortable working through a low block than being disrupted in their own build-up.
That approach, combined with patience in possession and a directive from the coaching staff to attack with confidence in one-on-one duels, allowed Brugge's young squad to capitalise when Inter made errors, including a strike that came back off the crossbar.
Pace proved decisive, particularly through Carlos Forbs, whose fitness had been in doubt before kick-off, with the gap in physical sharpness becoming most visible as the match progressed.
Tresoldi highlighted the fourth goal as the clearest illustration of that gap: a pass played from midfield with no Inter player tracking back to close it down, a moment he took as proof Brugge were simply fitter by the second half.
He summed the evening up simply, calling it "the perfect night," a result that leaves Club Brugge with a significant Champions League scalp and leaves Tresoldi's international future, for now, still unresolved.