Marcus Thuram returned from the international break with a statement performance against Parma, scoring again against the club of his birth and strengthening his place at the centre of Inter’s season. The French forward played 61 minutes at San Siro, but his impact reached beyond another home goal and a comfortable Inter victory.
Born in Parma on 6 August 1997, when his father Lilian was playing for the Gialloblu, Thuram has shown little sentiment whenever he faces the club. He had scored in each of his previous four Serie A meetings with Parma, and has now made it five from five, including the goal that opened the Scudetto match on 3 May.
Quick facts
- Thuram scored in a sixth successive appearance at San Siro.
- He is the fifth Inter player to score in more than five consecutive home matches.
- Christian Vieri leads that club sequence with 11, followed by Romelu Lukaku on seven; Thuram is level with Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on six.
- Thuram spent the international break training at Appiano Gentile after missing France selection.
- Inter face Club Brugge next, with Thuram in line to start alongside Lautaro Martinez.
Thuram had been the one certain name in Christian Chivu’s attacking plans against Parma. The coach waited until late before deciding between captain Lautaro Martinez and Francesco Pio Esposito, eventually choosing the younger Italian forward.
Esposito did not score, but again influenced the match with intelligent work and decisive contributions. His emergence has increased competition in Inter’s attack, yet Thuram made clear that the shirt he has earned over several seasons will not be surrendered easily.
Against Parma, he converted a fine move created by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a midfielder who has repeatedly supplied him. Thuram’s value for Chivu is not limited to finishing: he offers movement across the final third, avoids becoming a fixed reference point for defenders and gives Inter different solutions regardless of his strike partner or the midfield selected behind him.
“I wanted to go with the national team, but the coach made his choices and I respect them,” Thuram said after the match. “I stayed at Pinetina and worked very well.”
The forward has not hidden his intention to return to the France squad after being left out by Didier Deschamps. Missing the trip to Clairefontaine appears to have sharpened his response, with Thuram using an unusual international break at Appiano alongside the group that remained under Chivu from the start.
He also addressed the discussion around Inter’s defensive starts to matches. “People said we always began by conceding goals. There will always be talk about us, but we go onto the pitch only to win,” he said.
The next test is Club Brugge, where Thuram is expected to return to the starting XI and potentially reunite with Martinez in the established partnership that has carried Inter through recent campaigns. With Esposito pressing from behind, the competition is real, but Thuram’s consistency at San Siro has made him difficult to leave aside.
For Inter, this was more than a productive afternoon against Parma. It was another reminder that Thuram remains a major part of Chivu’s immediate plans, while his performances are also aimed at restoring a place in France’s future.
