Olivier Giroud shared a dressing room with Christian Pulisic across two clubs, Chelsea and AC Milan, and today he discussed the strengths of the American.
When Pulisic moved to Milan, it was not a case of joining a squad of new faces. Indeed, there were plenty of former Chelsea players in the dressing room and Giroud was one of them. Like the Frenchman, the club were unsure what they were going to get with the American, but they will be glad to have taken the dive.
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Indeed, in the past few years, Pulisic has re-emerged as one of the best attacking talents in Europe and whilst his 2026 has not been massively fruitful so far, he remains an integral part of the squad.
Giroud’s praise for Pulisic
There has been plenty of praise from outside the dressing room and although they no longer share a club, Giroud has spoken of his former teammate and offered plenty of praise to him, as Calciomercato.com relays from his interview with BBC Sport.
“I have some great friends who play for different teams at this World Cup, not just for France.
“One of the players I know best and respect most is Christian Pulisic from the United States, who was my teammate at Chelsea and Milan.
“I wasn’t surprised by his excellent performance against Paraguay, because I believe he has what it takes to take the US national team to the next level in the coming weeks. I hope the calf problem that forced him off at halftime isn’t serious.
“He was very young when he joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, but already then he was an important player for his national team, on whom they placed great hopes, but also a lot of pressure.
“At Milan we called him by his nickname, “Captain America”, because even when he wasn’t wearing the captain’s armband of the United States he was the star player, the one with the greatest visibility”.
Criticism enhanced with Pulisic…
“He had a huge responsibility because he was the team’s main face and had also been successful in Europe. The situation is the same now, despite his season with Milan being up and down. He started well, but then the team collapsed and didn’t qualify for the Champions League, and he went without a goal for a few months.
“But, regardless of what happens with his club, there always seems to be this expectation on Christian to give his all for the United States, and the criticism when he fails to do so.
“Mental strength is essential for every player and I think he’s been through difficult times, with injuries or when he or the team didn’t perform well, but all of this has helped make him the person he is today and he’s ready to face this challenge.
“Some thought he was wrong to miss last summer’s Gold Cup when he told Mauricio Pochettino he needed a rest, but I thought it was important to trust him because he knew his body better than anyone else.
“Of course, he was already thinking about this summer, and the most important thing was what would happen now.
“Since he didn’t play in the Gold Cup, there are probably even more expectations on him now ahead of the World Cup, but I think he’s aware of it and ready to take on the responsibility, both mentally and physically. At 27, he’s still young, but he’s more mature now.”
Reminders of Hazard…
“As a person, Christian might seem a little shy at first, but once you get to know him well, he really opens up. He’s a very thoughtful guy who cares about others, but he’s also someone I’ve always had a lot of fun with. We got along right away.
“The same happened on the pitch. From the start, I loved playing with him at Chelsea. We had great chemistry and our playing styles complemented each other perfectly.
“I played as a centre forward and needed speed and movement around me: someone like him, who could play between the lines, receive the ball, find me, and capitalise on my headers. Christian reminded me of Eden Hazard, for the way he approached opponents and the ease with which he dribbled past them.
“He was immensely talented; he just needed a positive environment around him: a good atmosphere in the team, and also to be loved and appreciated, to be able to play with confidence and freedom.
“That was the difference between him and Eden: Eden played football just for fun and didn’t ask too many questions. He was so relaxed, while sometimes I felt like Christian put too much pressure on himself. He had too many things on his mind .”
Growing up in Milan…
“This meant that at times at Chelsea, he played below his potential, not fully expressing his talent, but that changed when he joined me at AC Milan in 2023. I told the lads that he would be a real asset to the team and he seemed to elevate his game, playing with the confidence he needed.
“He grew up in Italy because he matured and gained more experience. Initially, playing in the Premier League against strong teams and defenders was beneficial, and then he also learned in Serie A, where, as a striker, you face teams that, tactically, are focused on you.
“When Milan played with Rafael Leão, Christian, and me up front, we complemented each other, and that’s exactly the kind of cohesion the United States will need.
“Christian needs his teammates because he can’t do everything alone, but if he has the right players, he can carry them because he has the experience and quality to carry the team forward.”
Nice comments from Giroud, and the chemistry with Giroud was why I knew Christian would be impactful at Milan. That relationship worked great for both players, unlike this past season where Puli-Leao did not work for either.
We lost a lot of leadership when Giroud left. We were left with a passive aggressive Theo, and then hoped Kyle Walker could be that guy.