Ten years into life as a star, Christian Pulisic arrives at the World Cup he has long dreamed of

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — A decade later, the headline from the front page of The Inquirer back then still stands out.

“Pa. teen is rising star of American soccer,” it said — and yes, we mean the actual newspaper, not just the internet. “Christian Pulisic dazzles on big stages.”

A few weeks after that, a then-17-year-old phenom born in Hershey came to Philadelphia as a U.S. national team player during the Copa América Centenario. He didn’t play in the Americans’ game here, but his presence alone was enough to draw attention and another round of headlines.

How many have there been since then? Too many to count, no doubt. But another from along the way still resonates now.

It was five years ago, this time in the business section — a feat of its own kind, along with his goals and assists.

“In soccer and marketing, Christian Pulisic is attracting fans and fame,” the big type declared, for a feature noting how rare this was for an American men’s soccer player.

» READ MORE: Christian Pulisic’s first USMNT goal since 2024 lifts a big burden ahead of the World Cup

Now here he is at age 27, on the cusp of one of soccer’s rarest privileges: playing in a World Cup on home soil. Pulisic is still very much an American poster boy, even as the sport has grown so much that he’s no longer the only one.

There are so many ways to measure the time that has passed. But doing so keeps bringing the mind back to the word decade.

How has it been that long already?

“I think of that every once in a while, and it is pretty crazy,” he told The Inquirer in an interview earlier this month, when he had a rare moment to not be as rushed as he is after games or in news conferences. “In some ways I still feel like I’m a young player. And then I realize, you see guys playing now born in [2006], and it makes you think: ‘like, wow, I really have been around for a while.’”

Not that he is old, for the record. His age is a soccer player’s prime, right on time for the biggest stage of his life.

» READ MORE: From 2022, our feature on how Christian Pulisic’s ‘fearless’ drive made a kid from Hershey a World Cup star

“I still feel like I have a long road ahead of me,” he said. “It is crazy, though, that I’ve been doing this for so long. It’s not easy to maintain this level and to keep going, and I’m happy and I’m just so blessed that this is what I get to do.”

The arrival of this World Cup has brought Pulisic a new round of endorsement deals, joining what was already a long list. They’re all on his Instagram page if you want to see them, and some are even on that old-fashioned platform called television commercials.

There sometimes feels to be a contrast between seeing him in so many ads and knowing he isn’t much of a talker on camera. He never has been, and though he has opened up more with age, he’s still never going to be the most chatty. He admitted as much again in this interview.

“I’m obviously in this position, and I think in some ways, it’s important to give my opinion on some things, and I get it,” he said, “People want to hear from me at times, and I’ve gotten more comfortable with it. But no, I haven’t changed really much, I would say.”

» READ MORE: FIFA has gone to great lengths to appeal to American soccer fans. But they got us all wrong. | Kerith Gabriel

He added that for “people that know me and have spoken to me, it’s definitely not how people view me, and I’m OK with that. I think there’s a lot of athletes like that.”

And though these times seem oversaturated with commerce, some of Pulisic’s deals genuinely pull at the heartstrings — including his own. When a Hershey native gets his name and likeness on the city’s world-famous chocolate bar, that counts for something extra, and the company’s ads nailed the tone.

“I think I’ve officially made it,” Pulisic says in one of them, a staged phone call with his mother. “Happiness is knowing home is already rooting for you,” a chocolatier says in another, as he ships a box of bars to Milan, the player’s club soccer home. On arrival, a doorman delivers them to Pulisic, and he looks genuinely moved.

Even the biggest food conglomerate imaginable has a genuine place in Pulisic’s heart. He was one of countless kids who’d go to McDonald’s after a game. Now he’s one of nine global soccer stars on the fast food chain’s soda cups and combo meals, along with legends David Beckham, Ronaldinho, and Thierry Henry, and four big names who’ll play this summer: Canada’s Alphonso Davies, Mexico’s Santi Giménez, South Korea’s Son Heung-Min, and Spain’s Lamine Yamal.

» READ MORE: Alejandro Zendejas wears his emotions on his sleeve, including the joy of going to the World Cup

“Driving home from soccer tournaments, the amount of times stopping at McDonald’s and picking up a nice meal there,” he said, “to now be a part of this, have this FIFA World Cup meal, have a chance to win one of my cups — obviously it’s something I just never expected."

Even though Pulisic was speaking on the sponsor’s behalf, you can take a moment to say there’s significance in an American being in such company. Some years ago, longtime Inquirer writer Mike Jensen got a chance to interview Pelé when offered by one of the Brazilian legend’s sponsors. That was news on its own, as Pulisic’s turn is now.

Though Pulisic spends most of his days abroad, and his family moved to Florida a few years ago, he still says Hershey “will always be home.”

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He spoke of “that house I grew up in,” and how “when I think of home, that’s what it is. That’s where I grew up and spent most of my life.”

He knew who he was speaking to, for sure, and for how long The Inquirer has chronicled his career. But these words also sounded genuine.

“I’m really proud to be from there, and that’s it,” Pulisic said. “It’s kind of sad that I don’t get to go back as much as I’d like to, with such a busy schedule during the year. But Pennsylvania, whenever my friends always talk about who they rep, Pennsylvania, that’s me. I rep Pennsylvania, central and eastern PA — it’s always a big part of my life.”

That includes being a 76ers fan, albeit casually these days; and it is, he admitted, “the only Philly team I really do support.” But that has rarely been a secret. His longtime allegiance to the NFL’s New York Jets, in particular, has been written about plenty.

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(Pulisic has a small tie to the Union, too, having played for one of the club’s youth teams in a tournament in 2012. Asked if any photos exist somewhere, he said they probably do, but he doesn’t have them.)

On the field, he arrives at this World Cup in the company of teammates who are also longtime friends, especially Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Haji Wright, and Alejandro Zendejas.

“It just feels like this is exactly where I’m meant to be,” Pulisic said. “I’ve known some of these guys for so long, and so now to share the biggest stage with them, it’s incredible. We talked about it, we dreamed about this together.”

He described the moment as “everything we could have imagined and more, and we’re just thankful that this is what we get to do.”

» READ MORE: The USMNT has momentum going into the World Cup, even after a loss

Their World Cup opener is nearly here, which almost feels hard to believe after so long.

“The American fans are excited,” Pulisic said, “and that just gives us such a boost. It can really carry us through games.”

He knows as well as anyone could.

The World Cup in Philly

Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.