Christian Pulisic’s goal was not just a goal in the derby; it was a goal after six consecutive derby losses, an embarrassing European outing, and with a coach who was at risk of losing his job. And so Pulisic, the usually calm Pulisic, let himself go in that celebration.
To understand how Christian usually is: “It takes tokens to make him talk; he’s not one to speak much” Fonseca replied when asked if Christian had the traits of a leader. However, there are many ways to be a leader, and not all of them involve rivers of words. Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini weren’t exactly chatty in the locker room.
Pulisic simply leads and takes his teammates by the hand through his play. An uninterrupted red thread that has been unrolling since last season. In essence, Captain America has been amazing for a whole year, without interruption.
In the ’23-24 season, the longest period without scoring or assisting was just five matches, from mid-January to mid-February. An impressive continuity that has brought him back to being the attacker admired during his time in Dortmund and then at Chelsea’s first stint. But with significantly better numbers: his first season at Milan recorded 15 goals (the maximum he had reached was 11 with the Blues four years earlier), along with 11 assists. He has a hand in 26 percent of the season’s goals for the Rossoneri.
Not bad for a player brought in by Milan for figures far from those that had seen him fly from Dortmund to London. A gamble that the Rossoneri management has won hands down, as Christian improves month by month with a naturalness and an upward curve that currently seems unstoppable.
Confident, it’s evident from the plays he makes, trusting in his tactical intelligence that leads him to understand the best solution to pursue. With an almost infinite repertoire: it can be a dribble, an acceleration, a run, an overlap, or a shot. The goal in the derby was emblematic because Christian carried four opponents with him, and doing so in a derby automatically transports the action into the book of city wonders. First, he stole the ball from Mkhitaryan, then he escaped from Calhanoglu, avoided Acerbi’s intervention, and finally left Pavard behind.
It all seemed easy; obviously, it wasn’t at all. “Like a hot knife through butter”: is how Milan described themselves on their social media. With yesterday’s goal, Pulisic has already reached 4 goals and 2 assists in six matches this season. A nice statistic states that since last season, no player in Serie A has been involved in more goals: 31 (19 goals and 12 assists), tied with Lautaro (27+4). And since the beginning of March, he has scored eight goals in the league, more than anyone else during that period.
Pulisic’s impact is beyond the field too
Then there are also the commercial statistics, which make the club smile and have a threefold effect: Pulisic, who is already an icon in his homeland, is even more beloved; thanks to him, Milan further increases visibility; and, also thanks to him, merchandise sales are booming.
In other words, they’re soaring, with one shirt flying off the shelves after another. Christian has become the first American player to score in the history of the Milan derby: the red thread continues…
