Bundesliga
Christian Pulisic's top 5 moments
Christian Pulisic’s time in the Bundesliga may be coming to an end, but not without the American making a record-breaking impact in a Borussia Dortmund shirt. The milestones have come thick and fast for Pulisic and in celebration of his three-year stint in Germany, bundesliga.com takes a look back at his best moments in Black-and-Yellow.
Bundesliga breakthrough
On 30 January 2016, Pulisic entered the first-team fray at the Signal Iduna Park, helping spark Dortmund into life as they scored two goals in the final 13 minutes to see off Ingolstadt in his maiden professional appearance.
"I've worked very hard for this day," said Pulisic of his debut at just 17 years and 133 days old. Three games later he featured in his first starting XI and just seven matches into his Dortmund career, Pulisic became the fourth-youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history, netting the opener in a 3-0 win over Hamburg.
A week on and Pulisic was the youngest player in history with two Bundesliga goals to his name, this time finding the mark against VfB Stuttgart. In the process, he announced himself to the Dortmund faithful and made the wider world sit up and take note of this teenage prodigy.
Watch: Christian Pulisic's top 3 Bundesliga goals
Continental drift
By the time Pulisic made his UEFA Champions League debut the subsequent September, he had gained legitimacy and was in the process of establishing himself as one of the first names on the Dortmund team-sheet.
He had already made history by becoming the youngest American to feature in a UEFA competition with a three-minute cameo in the 2-0 win over Porto in the Europa League’s round-of-32 stage in February 2016.
In the Champions League debut that followed - a 6-0 win at Legia Warsaw - Pulisic became Dortmund’s youngest Champions League player just four days before his 18th birthday
Pulisic would lay on an assist for Gonzalo Castro in that game before going on to score his first Champions League goal in a crucial 4-0 second-leg victory over SL Benfica that helped BVB progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.
American dream
Typically, Pulisic was the USA’s youngest ever player to feature in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier when he made his international debut as an 81st minute substitute in Jürgen Klinsmann’s side’s 4-0 win over Guatemala.
In what was becoming a feature of early Pulisic appearances, he would become his nation’s youngest goalscorer just one month and two caps later, scoring the fourth in another 4-0 victory, this time against Bolivia in Kansas.
A year on and the 19-year-old was named the youngest man to pick up the award for USMNT Player of the Year, saying the prize was an “amazing” reward for what Pulisic described as an already “crazy journey”.
It’s certainly has been, and in November 2018 Pulisic led his side out against Italy in yet another record as the USA’s youngest captain; aged 20 years and 63 days.
Hundred up
On 18 September 2018, Pulisic not only celebrated his 20th birthday but he did so in pure Pulisic fashion; marking yet another milestone with now customary panache.
His 100th appearance for Dortmund came in their Champions League opener against Club Brugge, a memorable moment made all the more unforgettable as he grabbed the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over the Belgians.
"Obviously, it's great to get a goal although it may have been a bit lucky, but I'll take it on my birthday so I'm very excited,” said Pulisic post-match.
Bundesliga champion?
In lifting the DFB Cup in 2017, Pulisic (yep, you guessed it) became the youngest American to win a major European club trophy as Dortmund saw off Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in Berlin.
Pulisic, a 46th minute substitute for the injured Marco Reus, would make a decisive impact, winning the penalty at 1-1 that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would convert to give Dortmund a lead they would not concede.
The young forward will now be hoping to add further silverware to the Dortmund trophy cabinet before bidding farewell to the club in the summer and said in a heartfelt open letter to the Borussen faithful; “We all feel that this is 'our year' and we are determined to achieve the best possible results in all competitions.”
With Dortmund sitting top of the Bundesliga heading into the Rückrunde, will Pulisic bow out of German football as a Bundesliga winner? Given his achievements so far, there’s every chance of him doing just that.
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