CorSport: From criticism to smiles – Pulisic fired up for another season as a ‘leader’

Christian Pulisic has been the subject of criticism in his home country, but now he is back to focusing on AC Milan.

As Corriere dello Sport (seen below) report this morning, Pulisic’s summer hasn’t gone so well, and after a difficult season. On a personal level, his 29 goal contributions in 2024-25 contributed to another positive campaign, but Milan finished eighth in the league.

A rough summer

In order to get a bit of rest and to recharge ahead of 2025-26, Pulisic stayed at home rather than reporting for national team duty. There has been some criticism about this decision: first from longtime United States captain Donovan, and then from manager Pochettino .

Despite the negativity of the past few weeks and months, there was no shortage of smiles on the first day at Milanello. The paper explains how ‘Captain America’ is enjoying himself a lot at Milan still, where he’s enjoyed the best period of his career in terms of goalscoring.

Stefano Pioli, Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao have all deemed him to be irreplaceable in the attack. The former Chelsea man done very well under all three managers, who have always, for their part, appreciated his work.

He may not be the type to raise his voice in the dressing room and make himself heard, but Pulisic leads by example with his performances. Having rejected Saudi interest, there is now a renewal to think about.