Christian Pulisic is excited to lead Milan in their pre-season tour in the USA and is amazed by the passion of Rossoneri fans: ‘It’s tough to find something quite like it in America at the moment.’
USMNT captain Pulisic was interviewed by CBS Mornings alongside Red Bird Advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic while Milan prepare for their pre-season tournée in the USA.
Paulo Fonseca’s side will face Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the upcoming friendlies in the USA.
“It’s incredible, especially to be back with Milan now. Such an iconic club,” said Pulisic.
“I’ll show them a bit of my country, where I grew up. Playing games here with family and friends is going to be a pretty cool experience for me.
“Being in Italy this past year, you see the passion of the fans, and just walking around the city, the feeling that you get. It is different. It’s tough to find something quite like it in America at the moment. It’s really special to be part of this historic club.”
Pulisic played for Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea before joining Milan last summer.
His first season at San Siro was impressive with 12 goals and nine assists in 36 league games with the Rossoneri.
“I’ve been in Europe for over ten years now, which sounds crazy,” said the American winger.
“It’s difficult at the beginning. People look at this guy and think: ‘He’s an American guy, I don’t want him taking my spot over here.’
“You have to go in with a strong mentality. Not caring about what people think and go out, showing people what I can. Hopefully, they will accept me for who I am, and that’s what I’ve done.”
Milan are Pulisic’s third club in Europe, so the American star was already accustomed to facing a ‘cultural shock.’
“It is. It can be a bit of a culture shock, but I’ve been in Europe for so long, so I am used to it,” he said.
“I remember at the beginning of last season when I didn’t speak a word of Italian; I went into the first training sessions, and the coaches were yelling things…”
At this point, Ibra, sitting right close to him, joined the conversation: “There is a lot of body language! You don’t really need to speak, just the body,” the former striker said smiling.
Pulisic joined Milan in a €20m deal from Chelsea in the summer of 2023. He has scored 15 goals and provided 11 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions with the Rossoneri and his contract at San Siro runs out in June 2027.