United States Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter believes that Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic could play for any of the world’s biggest clubs. Berhalter said that while Pulisic is perfect for the club he is at right now, he is also quality enough to thrive at Real Madrid or FC Barcelona.
Pulisic, who injured his hamstring in the FA Cup final loss to Arsenal, is a doubt for the season opener at Brighton & Hove Albion, but he was unquestionably among the best performing players in the entire world during the restart period of the 2019-20 season.
“At 21, he is a leader at Chelsea,” Berhalter said to Bild.
“It doesn’t happen that often that a Bundesliga player moves to England and immediately convinces there. He quickly got used to the speed and the more physical style of playing in England. He is a role model for other U.S. players in the Bundesliga whose goal is the Premier League.”
Pulisic, who gave the Chelsea final third something it just doesn’t get from the other attacking players, was a finalist for the Premier League’s inaugural Young Player of the Season award (it eventually went to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold).
His potential is so remarkable that he could easily one day become the greatest American player in history. Berhalter went on to discuss how Pulisic often found himself involved in Chelsea goals this season.
If he wasn’t scoring them, he was assisting, and if he wasn’t doing either of those, he was winning penalties that were converted to goals.
“Christian is perfect for Chelsea. All dangerous attacking plays go through him, he shines as a goal scorer and provides assists,” Berhalter continued.
“If he can keep this level, he can play for the world’s biggest clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Real Madrid.”
Pulisic is by far the most talented player on the USMNT, and it shows every time the Stars and Stripes take the pitch. However this upcoming season at Chelsea will see the 21-year-old American supported by a host of new and stellar attacking players.
The additions of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech should help Pulisic reach another level this season. Manager Frank Lampard has often hailed the potential of Pulisic, saying he’s still not at his ceiling right now.
Maybe this upcoming season will see him reach it?
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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