Always him, a pleasant habit for Milan. Christian Pulisic gifted himself another night as the true star of the match with a brace that secured all three points for the Rossoneri in the difficult trip to Udine. In his three seasons with the club, Milan have gone through four different coaches, yet the United States captain has kept his level consistently above average. He is the current joint top scorer in Serie A with three goals, tied with Inter’s Marcus Thuram.
Impressive numbers for Pulisic...
The gift was self-made. Pulisic turned 27 on Thursday and is living the best moment of a career that had already seen him shine at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea. In Italy, though, he has made that leap in quality, establishing himself as one of the world’s top second strikers or wide forwards. Christian is the only player with 25 goals and 15 assists in Serie A over the past three seasons. In 105 total appearances with Milan, he has scored 36 goals and provided 24 assists.
Pulisic is a leader already at Milan:
Signed in the summer of 2023 from Chelsea for just 22 million euros, Pulisic made an immediate impact in Serie A. He quickly imposed himself as the team’s technical leader, even more consistent than his friend Leão. In recent weeks he has also taken on greater responsibilities off the pitch. With his calm character, he is always ready to lead by example. Even when starting from the bench, as happened against Lecce and Bologna, he remains decisive, which is rare.
Last night, at the end of the match against Udinese, he ran to embrace a struggling teammate, Santiago Gimenez, apologizing for a poor pass in the box that had denied the Mexican striker, well-positioned at the penalty spot, a scoring chance. A heartfelt "I am sorry," as relayed via Calcio Mercato today.
Contract extension:
An unquestioned fan favorite, admired by the whole club as both a player and professional, Pulisic is central to Milan’s present and future. His current deal runs until July 2027, but there is a clause for an automatic extension to 2028 that the club can activate next year. The management’s plan, however, is different. They want to extend his contract until 2029 with a salary increase from 4 to 5 million euros net.
Christian had asked for time to evaluate the club’s new plans after last season’s disastrous eighth-place finish, but now the tune has changed under Allegri’s direction. The new, ambitious Milan project may accelerate the process toward a renewal that both sides strongly desire.
