Is Christian Pulisic World Class?

This has been an extraordinary week and a half for USMNT captain Christian Pulisic. It started last Tuesday, September 17th as Pulisic and his AC Milan side kicked off their Champions League first round matchup vs. English Premier League side Liverpool FC. Three minutes into the match, Pulisic received the ball down the right flank, raced forward, and beat Ibrahima Konate for a beautiful finish. In AC Milan’s next match, the Milan Derby, Pulisic struck again. This time it was ten minutes in. Pulisic received a headed volley from Alvaro Morata, beat two men, raced forward, and tucked in low finish past Inter Milan’s Benjamin Pavard. It was the best possible scenario for the USMNT captain. Scoring twice in two straight, and finally ending the narrative that he can’t do it against the world’s top teams.

It also brought in a new narrative from our beloved fan base. In that, Christian Pulisic is now a “world class” player with these performances. While I disagree with this sentiment, I do believe that Christian is a very good player and he’s easily the best player for United States. But it got me thinking, what does it mean to be a world class player? What does that entail? What does it look like? Certainly when we look at players like prime Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, or Luka Modric, we point to them and say, these guys are world class personified. From their success in winning trophies with their club sides or success with their respected national teams, their consistency in big matches left a legacy that leaves zero doubt about their status as the world’s best players.

In finding an answer to the question of what makes a player “world class”, for me at least, I want to know what Christian Pulisic’s reputation is among his peers. Is he liked or respected by teammates? Former Chelsea and AC Milan teammate Olivier Giroud recently told SI that “Pulisic has more trust in his game, more confidence. He plays with more freedom, and he’s playing every game. He’s an important player for Milan.” Giroud went on to say that “He’s settling really well now in Milan. He loves the club and city. I think he can have a great season this year. He deserves to win a trophy with a massive club. I’m not surprised that he’s doing well because last year, he really had a good season.”

It should be remembered that Olivier Giroud was once considered one of the best strikers in the world, and for him to cosign Pulisic in this manner is huge. The ability to be recognized by your peers as one of the best players at your position certainly goes a long way. But it’s not the only means to arrive at this answer. The second question I ask, is Christian Pulisic a top five right winger in the world right now? With his 37 combined Serie A starts since the start of last season, Pulisic has contributed 25 G+A. Which is pretty damn phenomenal, but taking a step back, does it stack up to Mohamed Salah (33 starts, 35 G+A)? How about Bukayo Saka (40 starts, 31 G+A)?  Or Ousmane Dembele (20 starts, 17 G+A)? Michael Olise (20 starts, 21 G+A)? What about Lamine Yamal (29 starts, 18 G+A)? Now, none of this is meant to be disrespectful towards Christian, and I realize all of these players play for insanely huge clubs, but it’s meant to point out there are players above Pulisic who’ve been applying their trade at the highest levels of world football for longer stretches as starters. And that is an important point because until he found his way into AC Milan’s starting XI, Christian Pulisic was a squad player ( only season of 20 starts or more was in 2017/18). Certainly respected, but a squad player nonetheless.

The final question I ask myself is how do the top clubs in the world view Christian Pulisic? Is he the type of player these top clubs will get into a bidding war over, pay the exorbitant transfer fee required to sign him, and see his way right in to their starting XI? That’s certainly a fair question, and one that can be answered. According to the German website TransferMarkt, Christian Pulisic is currently valued globally at 40 million pounds. Which is a nice value, but do you know who else was bought this summer for 40 million pounds? The 18 year-old do-everything kid Archie Gray of Spurs. I’m certainly not comparing the two, but if Pulisic is valued at the same number Gray was sold for, it leaves room for growth. Do you remember those five players that I mentioned earlier, the ones above Pulisic? Their average transfer fee is 86 million pounds. If Pulisic can string together two more seasons at his current level, win a few Serie A titles for AC Milan, he’ll find himself with a transfer value in the 80 million pound range.

As I mentioned earlier, Christian Pulisic is the best player wearing an American shirt at the moment. He’s been capped 73 times, and his G+A is sitting at 49. When it’s all said and done, he will be the all-time leading scorer in USMNT history. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. But in order to reach the pinnacle of world football, to be considered among the greatest players in the world, he’s got to ascend to a level no other American has reached. Certainly we’ve seen former American players have great seasons in Europe, but we’ve never seen an American player in Europe string together five straight season with 35 plus goal contributions. That’s the level Christian Pulisic needs to ascend to, and he’s got the talent to do it. He can lead AC Milan to great things, and if he does, in three to five years, we’ll be sitting here talking about Christian Pulisic being the USMNT’s first world class player.

Steven Silver is the host of Stateside Footy on YouTube. You can find in on X @StatessideFooty, and on Instagram @StatesideFooty76.