Original subtitles

You're watching "Pulisic"

presented by Michelob Ultra.

Also presented by Volkswagen.

Pulisic!

Sometimes there's a message sent

without a word spoken.

These transfers will absolutely close the door

on Christian's chances of getting a regular place

in the Chelsea side.

Puli struggled a little bit

since he came back from national break.

It's a bit like a broken record.

It's happened too often to us.

The man who trusted you most

to give you your first team debut

now doesn't trust you enough for you to play.

When you don't start

and you're not playing regularly,

it does erode your confidence.

USA's Christian Pulisic

is offered his first Chelsea start in 101 days.

So often it's about being at the right place

at the right time.

And his move to Chelsea would have been a dream.

You're getting to go to one of the biggest teams

in the Premier League,

but it's so much more than just that.

When people start to say things about you like that

at the club, it's clear that you're not wanted there anymore,

and that's not a good feeling.

So that's when I knew that it was time to move on.

I think he got a bit unlucky at Chelsea,

but he's a great player,

so he's gonna play with us.

Team like AC Milan comes calling,

you don't really say no.

He had an offer from Lyon

and there was rumblings that other big clubs

were making a play for him.

Well, we can now add Juventus

to a growing list of big clubs

interested in Christian Pulisic.

A list which already included

the likes of Manchester United,

Lyon and Galatasaray.

But the interesting one was Milan,

because in the last couple of seasons

we've seen an interesting relationship

between Milan and Chelsea,

with the likes of Tomori, Loftus-Cheek,

Olivier Giroud making that jump.

But this will be an interesting one

because the relationship between the two clubs

is already there.

We'll start with the news that Christian Pulisic

has agreed terms with AC Milan...

Christian Pulisic has left Chelsea after four years

and completed a permanent transfer to AC Milan.

Christian wants to move to Milan as soon as possible.

If it meant him taking less money, no problem.

It was a bold move because it's a huge club,

one of the most famous clubs in world football.

The move felt right, the coach felt right,

and it was a matter of, I just want to get there

and I want to get there and start.

I mean, the relief to have a coach who trusts you,

to have a new opportunity

to prove that you are the player

that you think you are...

He took it and ran with it.

With AC Milan, it's a different ballgame.

You're gonna expect goals

and assists straight off the bat.

That's not gonna be easy.

It's different.

When you score one goal, you need to Italy,

it's like two goals in Europe.

I think that 100%.

This was a big club.

It was a club that a couple of years back

had won the Scudetto,

a club that just made semifinals of Champions League.

Who has the most pressure to perform?

I think it's Christian.

They brought him on to deliver, not to sit on the bench,

not to have an experience like at Chelsea.

There's a certain level of expectation

around representing that club.

I'm not sure that's where Christian Pulisic needs to be.

There's always that little aspect.

It's like, all right, you're big in America.

That's cute, but can you really do it here?

All right, once you get seated,

uh, we'll start, I guess, in Italy.

And, honestly, I can't believe how happy he looks there.

Have you been to Italy?

I mean, going out and training in London,

where it's raining most of the year,

compared to training in Italy,

and to be able to enjoy the rich culture there,

I've got to imagine that that's a nice lifestyle change.

I mean, the culture, the food, the passion.

When you're there, it's like you're transported

to a different century sometimes,

when you can't quite believe

that humanity was able to create and conceive

such a thing of beauty.

I mean, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

And they also have some really good football teams.

People in Italy go crazy about soccer.

They go crazy, they talk about it 24/7.

It's just something you have inside of your body.

It's culture, it's a lifestyle.

It's something that can encompass

every part of your being. And you could feel it.

You see all the banners that are unfurled,

the fireworks that are going off.

It's completely different

than anything you see in American sports.

Milan is definitely...

This sport is everything, man.

These teams here are everything for the people.

So putting this jersey on, you can feel the history.

You can kind of feel the presence of people

who have won Ballon d'Ors,

or the trophies that the club has won.

So, for me, it's, uh--

I don't take it lightly.

You feel the history?

So the Champions League final from the year I was born,

not telling anybody that was 1963.

- Did they get that for you? - Yeah, yeah.

Even the floor in AC Milan is special.

Where you see it's black,

it's bad a season.

Where you see it's red,

signifies winning again and again.

There's a lot of red up in front.

Oh, yes, right. I see a lot of red coming up.

- So beautiful. - You really know your stuff.

I try, listen-- Like you said,

it really is an incredible club.

- Oh, yeah. - And everywhere you look.

You see the trophies that they're winning.

World club championships.

But in here, this, I think, is what it's all about.

If you can have a trophy cabinet,

like, maybe this is the same

as you've got at home, I don't know.

Nothing like this, man. This is--

This is unbelievable.

It's kind of special, right?

It's hard to believe

that most of these Serie A teams that you see

are over a century old.

And for Milan now, they're proudly

celebrating 125 years.

So just think of all those decades,

all those generations.

I mean, these are genuinely

incredible histories that these clubs

can be proudly wearing on their kits.

And beautiful pass to Rivera, he's on side.

He must score, surely.

And Prati has got his third goal of the match.

If you look historically, Milan,

there were some pretty big players in Milan

and they won some big trophies also.

This club has had some players

that are generational, not just world class,

but players that you cannot find a copy of

for decades and decades.

I go back to that period in the late '80s, early '90s,

the Dutch trio, Marco Van Basten,

Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit,

Ballon d'Or winners who have graced the club.

I mean, in the '90s, they were so dominant

that they went 58 games undefeated in the league.

And then you had the 2000s

with Andriy Shevchenko, Kaká,

a player that had been to the mountaintop

in world football.

And that's what Milan has been

for large parts of their history,

whether it's the Scudetto

or the Champions League,

a competition that only Real Madrid

has a better record in.

Milan is a team that has been expected

to challenge on all fronts.

It's really on another level

because is not just to be a football player.

Here you become a part of a family.

So when you play in a club like Milan,

you become a family member of all Milanistas.

Milan are champions of Italy!

It's a football country

and when you're playing those big teams there,

everyone loves you, man.

But my father always told me, remember one thing,

those jerseys, they're very heavy jerseys.

Not everyone can play there.

To the course we go.

Fast!

Fast-like!

The Italian culture, it's something unlike

what I've experienced in this--

in this sport before.

Yeah!

Holy-- rocked my camera.

Sorry about that.

It means everything to the people in Milan.

- Can I ask you a question? - Yep.

Do you want to share what you were--

what you were feeling about confidence earlier?

Um...

But it's-- it's something that you just have

to be conscious of because

there is a lot of attention on you.

Mm...

Any feelings like, what-- what's--

What--

But, you know,

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Sometimes I would just say

I wish I was--

I don't know, man.

I'm playing at a high level right now

with some of the best in the world,

but I feel like to stay on that level

and to reach that level,

you have to have this level of confidence

that sometimes I feel like I miss.

Like, I don't feel like I--

I don't know, I don't have that, like, constant, like,

cocky confidence that some of the best have.

- Hm. - And that's--

That's the next step.

That's the next step to get to the top, I think.

You know, from an outsider looking in,

I think when you follow a specific person,

you really see what a roller coaster it can be

and all of the highs and the lows.

So for Christian, with the big move from England

to Italy, it really felt like this was make or break.

Why Milan?

It's a historic club, it's legendary,

and I'm really excited to come here

and try to win some titles here.

The move was gonna be so important

because there are all these questions

that started to arise around Christian Pulisic, that,

oh, in America, he's Captain America, he's great.

But in Europe, ah, we're not sold yet.

And so if those questions start to arise,

you know, that this next move has to be the right move.

Is this good?

He's got the whole weight on his shoulders,

you know, coming from America

and, you know, playing for the biggest teams in the world.

I think he likes that pressure.

He likes, you know, taking on a challenge,

and he's ready to kick on and--

whatever comes his way, he's ready to-- to take on.

I remember getting on a call with Coach Pioli,

and he wanted to just talk to me right away

and basically just telling me how-- how interested he was,

how-- how he thinks I would fit in his system

and, uh, that-- that they would take care of me.

But between my Italian and his-- and his English,

we kind of just had to make it work at the beginning.

In a lot of ways, though, going to a new club

with that language barrier,

it almost allows me to play a bit free in a way,

because I always have that excuse of like,

"Oh, I didn't understand."

So I can kind of just go do my thing.

Si, si, si.

Milan hand debuts to three of their new recruits.

Christian Pulisic plays on the right

of a very exciting Rossoneri front three.

Before he played his first game,

I went on Milan TV and all the guys were like,

all right, come on,

like, all right, Pulisic,

like, what-- what are we really gonna get?

Like, is this legit?

But he was really lucky that

he was in a position to succeed at Milan,

where the coach Pioli put him at the center of his game.

He said, "You're gonna play on this side,

you'll have this sort of freedom"

and then unlocked him.

Here is Pulisic...

Brilliant!

It immediately became,

"Oh, my gosh, this is not a joke."

Absolutely brilliant.

On his debut, the American star

shining so brightly for Milan.

This is not a signing just for headlines.

This is a really talented player.

I think that that early period

that Christian was able to put his marker in the sand,

I think was critical in his Milan career.

Because it gave him an early chance

to stake his claim as being the guy that

you got to start me in the lineup

for the first league game.

The American scores

in his first two games in Serie A.

And he was able to perform from day one.

And San Siro welcomes a new hero.

San Siro.

To play in the San Siro

every other week in the Serie A.

And what he's doing as well,

he's not just playing for AC Milan,

he's starting for AC Milan.

Watching him in Italy from the very beginning,

- This is great. - His grandmother from Italy,

the culture, the openness,

the way their footballers are respected

and celebrated.

You saw him immediately, for the first time in his club career,

play with his guard down.

Pulisic, he's gonna go on his own.

Christian Pulisic!

I think, you know, with different coaches,

different clubs,

they expect different things from you.

I think that Chelsea, he was more-- more of a creator,

you know, and now he's got both sides of his game.

He's a creator and he's a goal scorer.

I think finally he had a coach that trusted him.

Pioli put a lot of faith in Christian.

I think he made Christian feel that,

you know, if you have one bad game,

it's not the end of the world.

So I think from a mental perspective,

having someone that trusts you like that,

it gives you all the confidence you need

to-- to go out and do what you do.

And I think he repaid their faith.

Pulisic having that consistency

under Stefano Pioli, I think was massive

for also avoiding injuries.

Even though it sounds like this would be counterintuitive,

the more you play, the more chances you get injured.

This wasn't the case with Pulisic.

He was able to play, perform consistently, score, assist.

It's like Formula One cars.

It's all about the details now

because the way he's performing,

you just have to keep it like a continuity.

And when the low level comes,

keep the low level as high as possible.

Swing and miss by Tomori...

Oh! It's Pulisic!

And Milan are on the board.

He should be amongst the conversations

of the best strikers in the world, you know?

On the turn, Christian Pulisic!

When I see that his first season here,

he did amazing, scoring goals and assists

and really helping the team, so...

Come on, guys, like,

he's the guy, you know?

Pulisic wants it over the top,

the American's header!

And it's game on here.

Christian Pulisic and his performances for Milan

have been simply outstanding.

And this is from someone

who I thought he was making the wrong move.

When Milan needed

some of their players to step up,

it was the one who has the most goals on the pitch this season.

The way he's performing now,

it's really on an elite level.

He has been AC Milan's face.

He has been AC Milan's dominant force.

He is one of the most potent players in Serie A.

and for American players,

that is a whole new reality.

You know, Milan paid for Pulisic

something around 20, 25 millions

with same add-ons, as always in-- in modern football.

But in my personal opinion, the player today,

if you wanted to sell him today,

it's not gonna be less than 60, 65 million euros.

And probably Milan are not selling him for 60 today.

I hope so, because they need a player like him.

But all the teammates and even the fans

can see how Christian Pulisic every single time

is showing how committed he is to AC Milan

and to showing how important is for him every single game.

So in terms of image, in terms of marketing,

now it's very clear that Christian is one of the faces,

if not the face of this-- of this Milan project.

And let me say, it's unbelievable.

So this is absolutely the best piece of business

they did in the recent years.

Well, think about how well this has worked out for Milan.

They get a player for much less money

than what he's worth now.

He's an immediate impact player

and some could say their best player.

And on top of all that, you now have Captain America.

So you have a leg up over every other club

in the most lucrative,

important market in the world, America.

Ahead of Christian's second season with the team,

the US Was picked as a place

for the team to train in the summer.

They like to take the players outside of a city

where they normally train,

away from family, just so they're really, really focused

and can start the season in the best way possible.

So we played a game in Yankee Stadium,

which for me was like the pinnacle of matches.

To see Milan play in the Yankee Stadium

is, uh, is something incredible.

I mean, I never would've imagined it

if you told me this when I was growing up.

Let's give it up!

Partly for the fact that it's Milan coming there,

but also for it being in a baseball stadium.

And it's a day of celebration.

You know, the Yankees are part owners of AC Milan,

who are one of the biggest

sports brands in the world.

Tremendous connections.

And so to be able to have a collab like that

featuring Americans on the team is really important.

My nonno made me a Milan fan.

He never had a son, I was the first boy for him,

so he got me a Milan scarf.

And ever since then I just followed the team.

Thankfully, she's hopped on the bandwagon.

I really have. Yeah, it's all thanks to him, so--

My uncle. I would go over to his house

every Sunday after church.

He had about a 13 inch TV in his kitchen.

I can go and I sit with my zio

and I watch the partita with him.

It's a once in a lifetime opportunity

to have AC Milan here in Chicago.

We don't have an opportunity to travel to Italy,

see Serie A games.

So this is really a once in a lifetime opportunity.

We weren't gonna miss it.

- Ciao, come stai? - How are you? How are you?

- We are from Dallas. - From Dallas?

It's huge for us because we needed somebody like Pulisic.

The name, the brand, an American soccer player

to come in and help grow the Milan brand,

but also the homegrown talent

and the fact that they're able to see it

with the team that we've loved for so long,

it's actually really special.

You have to think, Milan fans,

you're supporting a team that plays 3,000 miles away.

It's not easy to support a team that plays that far.

So you almost even get a stronger connection

than those in Italy because you don't take it for granted.

Thanks, man. Appreciate it.

You're like, I'm waking up at 9:00 in the morning.

Even earlier. 6:00 in the morning.

If you're in LA, 3:00 in the morning,

this is your opportunity

to see that team in the flesh,

even if they don't play at 100%.

It's a way to represent the pride that you have

in the team that you support all year long.

Coming on for AC Milan,

Number 11, Christian Pulisic!

You know, getting a standing ovation

when I walk on the field at Yankee Stadium,

I get goosebumps in those moments.

It's-- it's incredible.

I never get used to seeing his name

on the back of jerseys either.

Like that just blows my mind every time, every single time.

I mean, I never pictured

something like that possible.

Playing soccer with my European club

and people even knowing who I am

is still mind-boggling to me.

Those games in the U.S.,

I mean, every time he touched the ball,

there was just cheers for him.

And it made me really proud of the work

that we've been doing to continue to support Christian,

because right now he is our best player.

I remember when I first saw Christian play for Milan

and I remember thinking, "Wow, he looks so happy."

I saw the smile on his face before and after the game

and how he interacted with his teammates.

And I think that really translated

into how he was playing because he played with so much joy

and so much freedom.

And in the past couple of seasons

when I'd seen him at Chelsea,

not that he had a heaviness about him,

but it was almost a sense

of he wasn't entirely comfortable at Chelsea.

With Milan, it was a completely different story from the get go.

It's been a breath of fresh air at times, for sure.

Kind of come into a new situation

and just being able to prove myself as a player

and just getting to a place in my life where

I think I'm in a different space.

Mentally. Not just in the game,

but also just in my life.

He's a bit of a different character

on and off the pitch, you know?

He's such a cool guy off the pitch.

And seeing him focused in game mode,

I'm just like, who is this person?

You know?

But it's nice, you know, someone who can

easily switch from, you know, serious football mode

to, you know, his joking self.

I just want to thank you for your services.

You know?

There were peanut butter and jellies being toasted,

you know, between school and training sessions

in Dortmund when I was 15.

He's really funny and loud

and silly and all those things.

There were dinners made here in Italy,

the finest Italian food, you know?

I think he's kind of found a really

good spot, you know, especially right now,

um, you know, in Milan.

I feel like he's found it.

You've done everything that I could have asked to do.

And for that I thank you.

Aw.

- Out with the old-- - Whoa! Just kidding.

In with the new.

And say hello...!

You know, that's-- Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Things can get pretty crazy.

It's easy to forget, but, you know,

sometimes they're just kids.

We've seen some pretty funny videos of Christian.

Yeah, the one him and Dan did, right? Yeah.

Yeah. It's fantastic.

When Dan shot his personal best,

it was the first video that was sent in the group.

And I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

And they were so excited.

'Cause Dan finally broke 100 or whatever it was.

And it was just-- it was just classic.

When someone breaks their own record, you know,

or they have beat their best score,

we just do a little dance video.

Just kind of for fun.

You know, celebrate.

- ♪ Won't you take me to...♪ - ♪ Funkytown? ♪

Oh, man. Bogey boy was bad.

This round isn't cheering me up.

- We needed this today. - We did.

Only problem is the second hardest hole

on the course is up next.

What to do what to do.

Bring them all, you know?

♪ Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me ♪

- Smart play. - Had to be done.

- It's good. - I think so.

Where's your ball?

♪ Well, I talk about it, talk about it ♪

♪ Talk about it, talk about it ♪

♪ Talk about, talk about, talk about movin' ♪

♪ To [humming] Funkytown ♪

♪ Funkytown ♪

♪ Gotta move on ♪

Let's go!

And that's how Funkytown came about.

That's-- that's the Funkytown special.

Yeah. I didn't know--

I didn't know that would be-- that would be out there.

Dan made sure to get that one on the camera.

So yeah, that's how that started.

Hey, Mark.

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

This kid, sub 80s today.

How'd you see that?

Don't worry about it.

No, gosh. Oh, man.

Dude, I'm regretting--

I'm regretting that.

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

78 from the yellow tees.

First time breaking 80 from the yellows.

Dan sub 100 from the yellows.

Unbelievable. Up and down.

- We're back, baby! - Right at it.

Oh, gosh.

I didn't think that video was gonna get anywhere.

That's good to know that you guys have that.

I think the biggest thing is--

it's not like Pulisic reinvented himself.

He found himself again.

He started playing free.

He went back to the Pulisic that we knew and loved

and played great football.

How does it feel different this year?

Second season.

Yeah, it's like more expectation

but also more confidence.

I've shown everyone that I can do it.

Now it's--

Can I run it back?

Milan revived him in a way

and made him even better than he was.

He is in the best place he can be

and I've never seen him more happy than he is today.

...and in behind for Theo Hernandez,

gives it back in towards Rafa Leão

and Pulisic!

His first of the season!

He is completely different.

He started this chapter like,

"Okay, let's explore this new country,

this new opportunity to play

for a big club like Milan."

But now you can see he's really the leader of this team.

People were asking me

what you need to do to play and perform.

And I always said that it's on you

to show people what you need to do.

Right now you are doing that every week.

Have I seen a difference?

Nah. I think Christian's always been a baller.

Like you can just tell it,

you can tell in his demeanor, like,

you know, he's flying.

You know, when you're enjoying the game

and you're playing free, you have confidence.

You're going to bring out your best version of yourself.

And that's what I was feeling last year

and gonna continue to bring that in into this year...

What he's been doing, he's--

He's different right now.

And look who it is!

Christian Pulisic!

Going into the next season,

I wanted to get off to a good start.

Pulisic! Oh!

At the stop!

Getting some goals right away and feeling good

'cause it helps, it grows your confidence so much.

Now it's Christian Pulisic

for Chukwueze!

How's the Italian coming out?

I've heard some of your Italian.

Um...

It's getting better. It's getting better.

I think it's also really important

to kind of show that I'm at least

willing to try to speak Italian

to respect the club, the country, and the fans.

I know my Italian's not perfect,

and I think it's more of the appreciation

that you try a bit.

They're probably not the best interviews ever.

They might be a little short-answered,

but I think it's something you just have to kind of jump into.

Honestly, I hate listening to myself speak.

I'm just like, ugh, I'm so cringe.

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ Won't you take me to Funkytown? ♪

♪ I wanna go to Funkytown ♪

♪ I wanna go ♪

♪ To Funkytown ♪

♪ I wanna go ♪

♪ To Funkytown ♪

♪ I wanna go ♪

♪ To Funkytown ♪