Christian Pulisic's top 10 moments for USA, Dortmund and Chelsea

Chelsea star Christian Pulisic

He might only be 22 years old but Pulisic has already enjoyed a successful and record-breaking career.

Having broken onto the scene aged just 17 with Borussia Dortmund, the forward - nicknamed ‘Captain America’ - now stars for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea and is looking to put injury problems behind him so he can really kickstart his 2020/21 campaign.

Here, we take a look at Pulisic’s 10 best career highlights and magic moments...

First goal in the Bundesliga

Pulisic scored his first league goal for Dortmund two months after his 17th birthday, in just his seventh Bundesliga appearance.

In opening the scoring against Hamburger SV, Pulisic became the youngest non-German scorer in the Bundesliga, helping his side to a 3-0 victory in front of the Dortmund faithful at Signal Iduna Park.

The goal itself was impressive too, as he received a pass inside the opposition box, used his first touch to open up and create space, and then with his second touch powered the ball past the helpless Hamburger SV keeper.

He backed it up too, scoring again in the following fixture against VFB Stuttgart in another 3-0 win.

First goal for the US national soccer team

It may have just been a friendly game against Bolivia for the US national side, but for Pulisic it was so much more.

After coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute, it took the teenager just six minutes to create history by becoming the youngest ever player to score for the US men’s national team.

Pulisic got his side’s fourth and final goal of the game as he slotted the ball first time into the bottom right corner of the Bolivia net from inside the penalty area.

If this moment wasn’t magical enough for Pulisic, he admitted after the game to having attended his high school prom the night before in Hershey, before getting a private jet to meet up with the squad in Kansas City.

Champions League debut and assist

In September 2016 Pulisic became the youngest player to start for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, as he played the full 90 minutes in a 6-0 thrashing of Legia Warsaw.

While he didn’t get his name on the scoresheet, Pulisic did contribute an assist and would have got another if it hadn't been for a close-range miss from striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang following a perfect cross from the young forward.

It was certainly a night to remember for the youngster as he announced his name on the European scene, and he didn’t look out of place while doing so either.

UCL Round of 16 vs Benfica, March 2017

Despite comfortably winning their group, Borussia Dortmund went into the second leg of their round-of-16 fixture trailing 1-0 to Benfica after a disappointing first leg in Portugal.

There were high expectations for Dortmund to perform in the competition, so the pressure was very much on when Benfica came to Germany in March 2017.

But pressure only seems to make Pulisic perform better, as he not only assisted Aubameyang for the first goal but also scored the second to give his side the lead over the two legs.

This was the American’s first goal in the competition, and it helped his side cruise to a comfortable 4-0 win - allowing them to progress to the quarter-finals. By this point Pulisic was now one of the standout players for Dortmund.

Youngest player to captain the USA

It’s every aspiring soccer player’s dream to captain their international side. So to become the youngest player in your nation’s history to do it is certainly a huge achievement.

That’s exactly what ‘Captain America’ achieved in November 2018 when he led his side out for a friendly against Italy aged just 20 years and 63 days.

While the game may have ended in defeat, wearing his country’s armband will forever remain a career highlight for the American.

Final home game at Borussia Dortmund

After five years with Borussia Dortmund, Pulisic bid farewell to the German side in 2019.

His move to Chelsea had been agreed a year earlier, meaning Pulisic and the Dortmund fans knew the penultimate game of the 2018/19 season would be his last in front of a home crowd.

It was an emotional day as Pulisic grabbed the opener in their 3-2 victory against Fortuna Düsseldorf, and when he was substituted his name echoed around Signal Iduna Park.

Pulisic also gave a tearful speech (in German) to the Dortmund faithful, ramping up the sense of occasion even further.

2019 Gold Cup semi-final vs Jamaica

Throughout the 2019 Gold Cup, Pulisic had been the driving force behind Gregg Berhalter’s American side, and he was a major part in getting them to the semi-final where they faced Jamaica.

His hot form continued as he scored twice to help the USA win 3-1 to reach the final against Mexico.

The US would ultimately lose the final 1-0 but Pulisic was named Young Player of the Tournament. American soccer fans will be hoping that was just a sign of things to come with Pulisic in their side.

Brace against Salzburg

While pre-season may be about players rebuilding fitness and managers trying out new tactics, for new signings there is still an element of pressure to perform in front of your new fans.

However, if Chelsea’s new £58 million signing was feeling any pressure in their pre-season fixture against Red Bull Salzburg, he certainly did a good job of hiding it. Pulisic scored two excellent goals and won his side a penalty in a 5-3 victory for The Blues.

His performance didn’t go unnoticed, as manager Frank Lampard described his big summer signing as ‘very impressive’ – leaving Pulisic full of confidence and in good form heading into his first season in England.

Perfect hat-trick vs Burnley

The first with his left foot. The second with his right. The third with his head. Against Burnley, Pulisic made history once again as he bagged himself the ‘perfect’ hat-trick at Turf Moor in the Premier League fixture.

Not only were these Pulisic’s first goals for Chelsea, it was also his first treble at senior level. In doing so, he became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for Chelsea, and the first person to score a ‘perfect’ hat-trick for them since Didier Drogba back in 2010.

This was Pulisic’s first standout game in a Chelsea jersey too, and it helped kickstart his life in London.

Goal in the 2020 FA Cup final

The FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world. So to be in the starting line-up for your side in the final, against local rivals too, is a momentous occasion.

However, Pulisic went one step further as it took him just five minutes to open the scoring against Arsenal in the 2020 final with a tremendous dink over keeper Emiliano Martinez.

Unfortunately for him, the celebrations stopped there as Chelsea went on to lose 2-1 in a fiercely contested showpiece. Nevertheless for Pulisic, that goal at Wembley will be a moment he will treasure for the rest of his life.