CHRISTIAN: I BELIEVE
WHEN Christian Pulisic pulls on a Chelsea shirt this summer he will not labour under the weight of his £58million price tag.
Nor – with uncertainty surrounding Eden Hazard – will he concern himself with the Belgian being a tough act to follow.
Why should he? Pulisic shrugged off a language barrier and the initial scepticism of his former Dortmund team-mates to become a star in German football as a teenager.
He’d arrived there from the USA as a 16-year-old, knowing nobody and having to adapt to an entirely new environment.
He went on to earn respect and his country’s captaincy and is ready for the challenge at Stamford Bridge.
“I try not to put too much pressure from the outside on myself,” he said. “I put enough pressure on myself to be good, to be great.
“That’s how I’ve always been. I’m very competitive, I want to be the best for myself. We also really do have other great players as well.
“I put enough pressure on myself. I want to be successful, be part of this team and make an impact. That’s my goals and become the best player I can be.”
Pulisic wants to prove American footballers do have the quality to become A-listers in the Premier League.
It shouldn’t even be in doubt after the exploits of the likes of Clint Dempsey at Spurs and Fulham, Brad Friedel at Blackburn and Tim Howard at Everton.
Pulisic fears, however, there is still a negative perception around American stars in the European game.
He added: “It’s tough. Obviously we have those other big sports in the US. Soccer has never been the main one and it’s I think that’s a big goal of mine.
“That’s what I want to try to prove to people – that Americans can do it. We can do it too.
“I just want to make a name and represent my country, definitely. So that we gain even more respect.”
Pulisic joins Chelsea after five years at Dortmund. He revealed he’d had to fight for the right to earn respect when he first arrived at the German club.
He added: “It was tough at the beginning as an American. I think at the beginning they think: ‘Who is this American trying to take my spot?’
“I don’t know that that’s what they are thinking but that’s how you kinda look at it. You want to prove to them that you are good enough.
“As soon as they see that, your team-mates, they are not thinking: ‘This guy’s American’. If they see you can play they respect you and they pass you the ball.”