Christian Pulisic documentary: Five things we learned from USMNT star’s death threats to leaving Chelsea

In the docuseries PulisianCurrently streamed Paramount+We get to see a new side of the leader of the national team of the United States, Christian Pulisic. From how he ended up in Borussia Dortmund as a young gem to meeting his athlete girlfriend and everything in between, it is quite a look at what Pulisic Tick makes.

For someone who has always wanted to be the best football player in the world, the episodes have so far offered quite a lens, not only in what is needed to reach his level, but also some of the struggles that can be experienced while he comes to the top. Pulisic generally works from the public eye, despite the form he won as a football player and these docus series has been an unparalleled look in more of his background.

Let’s look at some of the best things we have learned so far:

The best player on the field doesn’t play for Barcelona?

Playing youth football for the United States led to one of the moments that Pulisic brought on the map. He usually played a year in the national team of youth and helped them win a Nike Friendwists tournament where he was also the MVP as the best player of the tournament.

During a tournament, talent scout Rob Moore sent someone to see Pulisic play the Barcelona team. When the scout reported that Pulisic was the ‘best player on the field’, Moore was astonished because this was even while playing an academy with the history and form of Barcelona. An undersized American was the best player on the field? This would lead to Pulisic training for some time with Arsenal before his break came with Dortmund.

Even that was a considerable adjustment that the United States left for the first time, but his father, Mark Pulisic, which helped the move to Germany with him, helped to make a smoother adjustment. His father also challenged him.

“If it doesn’t work, you don’t enjoy it, we’re going home,” said Mark Pulisic.

“He knew what that would do to me. He would say:” Go ahead, stop, let’s go home. That wasn’t with me, “said Christian Pulisic.

Dealing with no longer the best player on the field and adapting to players with different backgrounds was a pretty growing moment for Pulisic, so he formed the stage for him as a football player. He could not even play professionally in Dortmund because of his age, whom he hated, and training until he was able to secure a Croatian passport through his grandfather was all he could do until he was eligible. Dortmund would only be the start of what has been an incredible career for the American so far.

Meet his partner

Pulisic even opened his dating history and how at a more stable point in his career, Instagram Direct Messaging was the route to find his girlfriend, golfer Alexa Melton. It all started on Instagram.

“I slid in the DMS as they call it,” Pulisic said, smiling from ear to ear.

“I got the DM and I was from whom this guy is with eight million followers and why he scrolled me through his entire Instagram, and I had something like that:” Oh, he is a big football player, “said Melton.

Although Golf is something that Pulsic also enjoys, the better golfer from the duo.

Van de Tanden was able to give him more open to people while finding a balance between his social life and his career, even to push him to share his own feelings. Weston McKennie said it is a bit of a return to reality for Pulisic, because she sees him as who he is and not, “Captain America” ​​like others can.

Mental health struggle

Pulisic also experienced mental highlights and lows, especially with management transitions from under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel. This led Pulisic not to feel the same joy as he was used to when he came up to play football every morning. If someone with high expectations, Pulisic explains a lot of pressure in himself, but sometimes that can be too much.

“I now play at a high level with some of the best in the world, but I want to stay at that level and reach that level, you must have this level of trust that I sometimes feel that I miss,” Pulisic said. “I don’t know, I don’t constantly have my own confidence that some of the best have, and that is the next step. That is the next step to reach the top.”

Being able to talk to someone about what he is going through, Pulisic helped navigate those difficult times in his career, especially while there was so much going on with the pandemic and football in England that was suspended. Pulisic, isolated in London, did not have the same access to family and friends that others would do at the time.

Chelsea Exit

Making the switch from Dortmund to Chelsea where Pulisic would play a crucial role in winning a Champions League title is quite a moment for him and American football as a whole. Being able to play with the blues at the highest level is something that many players can never do, let alone that they do it as an American.

Pulisic called Scoring scoring in the UCL and final final against Real Madrid one of the best goals he has ever scored, but it was not logical to start the second stage of the bank. According to his father, club directors wrote to his agents that Pulisic refueled in practice, which was the beginning of the end. When Lampard took over the blues, Pulisic’s playing time dropped when he came in and out of the XI.

“When people start to say negative things about you in the club, it is clear that you are no longer wanted there, and that is not a good feeling. So then I knew it was time to continue,” he said.

He almost played for more managers than he could call at Chelsea and it makes it difficult to adapt to everyone in the club when the club itself has no stability. He did his best to channel frustration because he was forced to prove himself over and over again at Chelsea, but at one point it was best to continue to his current trip in Milan. Chelsea was still a strong point in his career and every step he has been able to mark.

Lazio Death threats

March last year raised a wild incident in which Pulisic helped when drawing two red cards for Milan in a tense match with Lazio, and he therefore received death threats.

After Milan scored in a 1-0 win, Pulisic pulled the second red, this from Matteo Guendouzi, hanging after a tactical error. After that competition, he received threats on social media from fans.

“After the game with the amount of things that are online and the death threats, people tell me how terrible a sport I am, and even the man who happened to say how unsporting behavior won today. I couldn’t believe it,” Pulisic said.

His father encouraged him to use that moment as a way to respond in the right way and use it as a movitation, which was reflected by one of the greats of the game.

“I remember that after the game he was bad for what had happened. I said,” No, get used to this because this is Italy, “said Milan Legend and Club Advisor Ibrahimovic.