Olivier Giroud, the all-time leading scorer for France, observed that his former Chelsea and AC Milan teammate Christian Pulisic “reminded him of Eden Hazard” during his time at Chelsea, especially after Pulisic’s standout performance against Paraguay.
Giroud praised Pulisic for his role in leading the World Cup co-hosts to a 4-1 victory in their opening match on Saturday.
The two were teammates at Chelsea for two seasons up until the 2020-21 season, and Giroud reflected positively on their experiences together in the Premier League.
“Christian reminded me of Eden Hazard with the way he took on opponents and effortlessly dribbled past them,” Giroud stated in an interview with BBC Sport.
“I played as a target man and relied on pace and movement around me, and someone like [Pulisic], who could operate in the spaces between the lines, was vital in looking for me and capitalizing on my flick-ons.”
“I was not surprised by his performance against Paraguay; he has the potential to elevate the U.S. team in the coming weeks.”
Pulisic had an impressive match, providing an assist to Folarin Balogun before being substituted at halftime due to a calf injury, which head coach Mauricio Pochettino described as a precautionary measure.
“I’ve always believed that the USA is fortunate to have him, given his skill and football intelligence,” Giroud remarked.
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“At Milan, we affectionately called him ‘Captain America’ because he was their star player even without wearing the USA armband, given his prominent profile.”
“While no one expects the USA to win this World Cup, he will be crucial if they aim to reach the knockout stages.”
This 4-1 victory marked the largest margin of victory for the United States in a World Cup since they won 3-0 in both games of the inaugural tournament in 1930.
The co-hosts will next take on Australia and Türkiye in Group D.