5 Things About Christian Pulisic That You Didn't Know

The Premier League and world football, in general, have been graced by many a talented American – Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard being a few. However, none of their arrivals on England shores were met with as much excitement as that of 20-year-old Christian Pulisic, who completed a £58 million move from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea – making him the most expensive player of all time in the process – earlier this January.

While Chelsea fans will have to wait till the next season to see him in action due to his deal seeing him stay put at Dortmund till the end of the season, that hasn’t stopped the Blues faithful from boasting about their latest acquisition. And indeed there’s plenty to boast about. Pulisic’s outrageous talents include blistering pace as well as the ability to play with both feet, making him a dynamic number 10 and perhaps just the kind of player Maurizio Sarri needs to finally implement his famed ‘Sarri ball’ successfully at Stamford Bridge.

And while his footballing talents are there for everyone to see, there are still a lot of things you may not know about this Croatian-origin starlet. So without further ado, let’s take a look at 5 things about Christian Pulisic that you didn’t know.

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#5. Football is in the Family

If you’re wondering where this American kid got the football skills to become a world beater, look no further than his family. Both Pulisic’s parents Mark and Kelly played the sport during their time at George Mason University, with Mark even going on to play professional indoor football for Harrisburg Heat in the 90s before taking up coaching. In fact, Christian isn’t the only one who inherited his parent’s football skills, with his cousin Will an Under-17 goalkeeper for Dortmund and the US National Team.

#4. He Grew Up in the Land of Chocolate

Christian Pulisic was born in Hershey, Pennsylvania aka the Sweetest Place on Earth or Chocolatetown – which as the name suggests – is home to The Hershey Company famous for their Kisses, chocolate bars and syrups. It’s no wonder then, that Pulisic has an eye for many a ‘sweet’ pass or two amongst many other skills.

Perhaps it's his chocolate connection that saw him join Borussia Dortmund at 'Sweet 16' where he grew from strength to strength before finally realising his dream of moving to the Premier League.

However, despite his sweet origin, Pulisic has often endured the bitterness of professional football, with his skills often making him a target of fouls and other malpractices by opponents. Don't expect that to ditter this young superstar though, who looks hell-bent on carving a name for himself at one of the biggest leagues in the world.

#3. Chelsea Won’t Be His First Stint in English Football

Pulisic playing for the United States against England

This might come as a surprise to many, but Pulisic actually lived in England for a year at the tender age of 7 and even played for Brackley Town’s youth team. In fact, his father Mark credits England for instilling the love for football in Christian, with the youngster spending hours upon hours indulging in a kickabout or two.

England seemed to have a major impact on the youngster, who once stated: “England, the Premier League, is a league where lots of kids dream of playing so there is no reason why maybe one day I won’t play here”.

After his transfer to the Blues, it was finally revealed that Pulisic always harboured aspirations of playing in the Premier League, which is why a move to Chelsea - one of the biggest clubs in the world - was a dream come true for the young American.

#2. Sweet 16 Proved Lucky For Pulisic

Pulisic during his early days at Dortmund

It was at 16 years of age that Pulisic moved to Dortmund, where he first linked up with their Under-17 squad. However, after scoring 10 and assisting 8 for the youth team, Dortmund realised that they had a potential superstar on their hands and drafted him into the Dortmund senior squad in January 2016.

It was no looking back for Pulisic thereafter, and he went on to score his first Bundesliga goal against Hamburg SV at 17 years and 212 days making him the youngest non-German to score in the league. Pulisic went on to create even more history for Dortmund by becoming the youngest player with two goals in the Bundesliga and the youngest ever Dortmund player to make an appearance in the Champions League.

Even though his Dortmund journey is coming to a close, Pulisic's impact at the German club is sure to be a lasting one, with the youngster held in extremely high regard by the Dortmund faithful.

#1. Pulisic Created History Multiple Times for the US National Team

Although eligible to replace Croatia through his grandfather Mate, Christian opted to represent the country of his birth. In hindsight, it’s proven to be a brilliant decision on Pulisic’s part as he’s not only the youngest ever American to play in a World Cup qualifier but also the youngest American Player of the Year at 19 – breaking Landon Donovan’s longstanding record and the youngest ever player to captain the United States National Team.

So far, Pulisic has netted 9 goals in 23 appearances for the United States, and with his talents just scratching the surface you can expect to see a lot more of him in the future. In fact, by the look of things he's already well on his way to becoming an American football great, in the mould of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and others before him.

Edited by Rahul Arun