Christian Pulisic

Christian Mate Pulisic (born September 18, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger, attacking midfielder, or forward for AC Milan and the U.S. national team. Often called "Captain America," he is considered one of the best North American players ever, known for his dribbling, direct style, and playmaking. He holds the all-time American records for both goals and assists in Europe’s top five leagues and the UEFA Champions League.

Pulisic grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania. His paternal grandfather, Mate Pulišić, was from the Croatian island of Olib, and his paternal grandmother, Johanna DiStefano, was Sicilian. He later got Croatian citizenship. His parents, Kelley and Mark, both played college soccer at George Mason University; his father also played indoor soccer for the Harrisburg Heat and later coached. Pulisic’s soccer idol was Luís Figo. When his mother taught in England through a Fulbright exchange, he lived in Tackley, Oxfordshire, for a year and played for Brackley Town’s youth team at age seven. While his father managed the Detroit Ignition, he lived in Michigan, played for Michigan Rush, and attended Workman Elementary School.

Back in Hershey, he played for PA Classics and trained occasionally with the Harrisburg City Islanders (later Penn FC). In summer 2010, he had a five-day trial at Chelsea’s Cobham base.

Pulisic moved to Germany just before turning 16, using Croatian nationality law to get a European passport. Borussia Dortmund signed him in February 2015, first for their U17 squad, which won the Under-17 Bundesliga in 2014–15. He moved up to the U19s in summer 2015 and won the Under-19 Bundesliga in 2015–16. After scoring 10 goals and 8 assists in just 15 youth games, he joined the first team over winter break.

In January 2016, during winter break friendlies, he played the second half of two matches, scoring once and assisting once. On January 24, he played 90 minutes in a friendly against Union Berlin, scoring and assisting. He made his Bundesliga debut on January 30, 2016, as a substitute in a 2–0 win over Ingolstadt. On February 18, he debuted in the UEFA Europa League as a sub against Porto. His first Bundesliga start came on February 21 against Bayer Leverkusen, and he started again on April 10 in the Revierderby against Schalke 04. Manager Thomas Tuchel praised his maturity. Pulisic scored his first Bundesliga goal on April 17 in a 3–0 win over Hamburg, becoming the youngest non-German and fourth-youngest scorer in league history at 17 years, 212 days. He scored again on April 2 against Stuttgart.

He became a regular in the 2016–17 season, helping Dortmund win the DFB-Pokal. His performances earned him runner-up for the 2018 Kopa Trophy, awarded to the world’s best player under 21. In January 2019, Chelsea bought him for $73 million (£57.6 million), the highest fee ever for a North American player. He joined Chelsea for the 2019–20 season, won the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League (becoming the first American to play in a final), and added the 2021 UEFA Super Cup and 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in 2021–22. He moved to AC Milan in June 2023 and won the 2024–25 Supercoppa Italiana.

Pulisic played for U.S. under-15 and under-17 teams before making his senior debut in March 2016 at age 17. At 20, he became the youngest captain in U.S. history. He was named best young player of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and won the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, 2023, and 2024, earning best player honors in 2023. He is tied with Landon Donovan for four U.S. Player of the Year awards and is widely seen as the face of American men’s soccer.