In Milan, where the red-and-black side of the city has long shaped Nicolò Tresoldi’s football loyalties, the Club Brugge forward turned a Champions League visit to Inter into an unforgettable personal occasion. The 22-year-old struck three times as the Belgian champions won 4-3 on Tuesday, delivering a night that also raised fresh questions over his international future.
Tresoldi was named player of the match after becoming only the second footballer to score a Champions League hat-trick against Inter. Gareth Bale, while at Tottenham, is the other player to have done so.
The result gave Brugge a remarkable win in Italy, while Tresoldi admitted the setting made his achievement even more special. A declared AC Milan supporter, he said he had received encouragement from Milan fans before the match.
“It was a crazy night, impossible to describe,” Tresoldi said. “I had dreamed about this many times. Having all my family there made it fantastic. I got plenty of messages before the game from Milan supporters telling me to score. Above all, I am happy for Brugge. For me, it felt a bit like a derby,” he added with a laugh.
A choice still open between three countries
The performance at San Siro has intensified interest in Tresoldi’s eligibility for Germany, Italy and Argentina. He was born in Cagliari, has an Argentine mother, and acquired German nationality after moving to Germany at the age of 12, where he developed through the game.
He currently plays for Germany’s under-21 side and has not yet represented any senior national team. His continued involvement at under-21 level is permitted because eligibility for that competition is determined by the birth-year rules of its cycle rather than a player’s age on a given matchday.
Tresoldi said he remains content with his route through the German set-up, although he has held discussions with Germany coach Jürgen Klopp, Italy coach Roberto Mancini and both national associations.
“There are many strikers stronger than me in Italy and Germany,” he said. “I spoke with Klopp, Mancini and the two federations, and explained how I see the situation. The key thing is that they understand it. We will see what happens now.”
In a recent interview, he said he could represent any of the three nations, also pointing to what he called his Argentine fighting spirit.
From Hannover prospect to Brugge’s leading scorer
Tresoldi emerged from Hannover’s academy in Germany before Club Brugge paid €7.5 million to sign him. Since arriving in Belgium in July 2025, he has made 68 appearances, scoring 32 goals and supplying seven assists.
His goals helped Brugge win the Belgian league title, with Tresoldi finishing as the competition’s top scorer, and also lift the domestic Super Cup. His latest three goals came on a far larger continental stage, against one of Milan’s most formidable opponents.
Tennis beginnings and a footballing family
Football was not Tresoldi’s only sporting route as a child. Before committing to the game, he was a promising tennis player who represented Italy at under-12 level and played in events connected to the Junior Davis Cup.
A Rafael Nadal admirer, he still follows tennis on television. His eventual decision to choose football was influenced in part by his father, Emanuele Tresoldi, a former Italian defender and left-back who played professionally for several clubs, including Atalanta.
That family sporting history was present in the background as Tresoldi celebrated with relatives in Milan — after a Champions League evening in which a former youth tennis player, a Germany under-21 international and a Milan fan left Inter beaten by Club Brugge.
