Playing at the highest level has become a custom for Christian Pulisic, whose career started in Borussia Dortmund in 2016. Now after a tough injury plagued season which saw the American midfielder win back his starting position at Chelsea, he is riding high after a magical man of the match performance for Chelsea in their 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in Leg 1 of the 2020-2021 UEFAChampions League semifinals.
Pulisic without question was the Blues best player on the field with his dribbling, crosses, and passing throughout the first half for Chelsea. The USMNT star scored a spectacular goal in the 14th minute when he controlled a pass at the top of the penalty area and dribbled past Thibaut Courtois and the Real Madrid defense to put Chelsea up 1-0. Karim Benzema would later tie the match for Real Madrid in the 29th minute, but Pulisic’s lively first half performance was a sort of redemption for the American who battled through injuries and benching throughout the season.
With his goal against Real Madrid, Christian Pulisic entered the record books as the American who has scored the most goals in the UEFA Champions League. Not only that, but he is also the first American to score in a Champions League semifinal. Here are the other records the talented American has produced in his European career.
Christian Pulisic European Soccer Records
Marcelo of Real Madrid is challenged by Christian Pulisic of Chelsea (Getty)
For Chelsea, Pulisic is already in a class all to himself, he is not only the American to score the most goals in the UEFA Champions League (5), but also the American with the most assists in the competition (5). Pulisic also became the first American to score in the semifinals of the Champions League.
When he was at Borussia Dortmund, Pulisic became the youngest American to score in the UEFA Champions League at 18, he in fact became the youngest player in Dortmund history to score in the Champions League in a Round of 16 4-0 win over Benfica.
This season a lot of pundits in the United States were worried about the National Teams most talented player, a drop in form saw him reduced to a bench role, a goal drought saw him lose even more minutes, and to top it off an injury put him down the pecking order. Those same pundits were already protesting that Pulisic might have to leave Chelsea to find playing time.
Christian Pulisic of Chelsea celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final First Leg match between Real Madrid and Chelsea (Getty)
To his credit the Hersey, Pennsylvania native put in a lot of work to find his place on the team and after Thomas Tuchel took over the team from Frank Lampard, Tuchel started to manage the American’s minutes and Pulisic has repaid his boss back with various man of the match performances.
This season Pulisic has 6 goals in 36 games for Chelsea and in total has 17 goals in 70 appearances. Nothing to look over, Pulisic is a constant threat in the Chelsea attack and has earned his keep all season long despite the setbacks.
