Teenager Inacio can be the future of Dortmund and Italy, predicts Kovac

Young midfielder Samuele Inacio could be the future of both Borussia Dortmund and the Italy national team, according to his head coach Niko Kovac.

Inacio made his Bundesliga debut from the bench on Saturday, replacing Maximilian Beier with 15 minutes remaining as Dortmund lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich.

The 17-year-old, who came through Atalanta’s youth setup and has been capped by Italy up to under-18 level, won two of the three duels he contested (including his only dribble), and won possession three times against Bayern.

After trusting the teenager to make his bow in German football’s biggest fixture, Kovac predicted he will have a huge future.

“He’s a great footballer,” the Dortmund boss said of Inacio, in an interview with Kicker.

A first-team debut for 17-year-old Samuele Inacio pic.twitter.com/ieRJ9T4YTG

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) March 1, 2026

“If he stays healthy, he will have a really great career. At the age of 17, I already see what a good player for the future needs.

“He could be not only the future of this club, but also that of Italian football with the national team.

“We’re happy. Samuele is 17 years old and will definitely do well. I was happy with his debut, and it was against Bayern Munich. Imagine that… it’s not bad!

“He is making great progress. He’s a very clean player, technically, and as an eight or a 10, he sees things on the pitch at the age of 17 that others don’t see at the age of 30.”

Inacio, who has dual Brazilian nationality, could get another chance to impress when Dortmund visit Koln on Saturday, now sitting 11 points behind Bayern at the Bundesliga summit.