Christian Pulisic could earn £50m from sponsors to rival LeBron James and Serena Williams commercially in US after completing Chelsea transfer
The new Chelsea signing can become one of the biggest sports stars in America, says former mentor Doug Harris
CHRISTIAN PULISIC can become as BIG a star commercially as US sports giants LeBron James and Serena Williams, his former mentor Doug Harris believes.
LA Lakers star James, 34, is said to earn around £50million in endorsements a year, while tennis legend Williams, 37, clocked in an astonishing £16m.
But 20-year-old Pulisic, who cost Chelsea £58m to become the most expensive American player in history, is ready to rival the basketball great and seven-time Wimbledon champ and become mega-rich in the process, while raising Chelsea's profile in the States.
"He's certainly set the table to do that," Doug, President at US soccer academy Pennsylvania Classics, told SunSport EXCLUSIVELY.
"From a marketable sense he's kept very clean and is a hugely likeable personality. When you meet him, you immediately like him.
"He's developing marketing contracts with some of the biggest companies in the US. I just saw him in a Gatorade advert opposite LeBron and Serena.
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"He's now being featured in that limelight, and for me, he has done what is necessary to present himself in the best light.
"If he stays focused, the sky is the limit. If he continues that trajectory, why can't be on the top shelf with those kind of athletes?"
Pulisic spent five years honing his skills at the PA Classics football club under the tutorage of his father Mark, a former indoor footballer himself and Director of Coaching Steve Klein.
Harris spoke of the first time he saw Pulisic play when he was nine.
"I knew the Pulisic family, but I didn't know too much about Christian until he came to our club," he said.
"At that point we were fortunate enough to have his father coach in the organisation too, and that was when I first saw Christian play.
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"He was always fairly diminutive, but even then he had something special. His technique was pretty far advanced.
"I think a lot of that came from the fact that his mum Kelley and his dad both had great soccer pedigrees.
"Growing up in that environment, and with the influence of his parents, his technical ability became something to watch.
"But more important than that was his soccer IQ. He played two years up in the academy against some of the kids that were the best across the nation.
"I didn't coach Christian, but I think we developed a club where he could realise his potential.
"We are thrilled to death that he was a part of our club for five years and able to make that huge leap to a German youth club.
"We are sort of riding his coattails a bit, because he is immensely talented and he has put in a lot of hard work.
"But I will also give a lot of credit to his father and Steve Klein, our Director of Coaching at the academy, who kept Christian so grounded and encouraged him to work hard."
In 2015, the Pulisic family moved to Germany when Christian joined Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
Keen to keep an eye on the then teenage prodigy, Harris revealed he was fortunate enough to see Pulisic train with the German side's star-studded squad after he was invited by Christian's dad.
"It's been really fun to follow him," he said.
"I had the unique opportunity to be in Germany when Christian made his debut for Dortmund.
"Mark took me over to the Dortmund training facility, and I got to see Christian train with Marco Reus and some other outstanding players. That was great to see him alongside them."
With wealth and fame coming Pulisic's way, it would be easy for the forward to rest on his laurels.
But Harris believes his drive and grounded nature will put him in good stead for a long, successful career.
"He is the most unassuming individual you could imagine," he said.
"He's quiet and just embraced the situation. But I give his parents a lot of credit. He has remained extremely grounded through all of this.
"They've been able to reset and structure his day-to-day activities and keep pushing him.
"I remember having a discussion with his dad right after he became the youngest American to score in an international game.
"He told me a story of when they were going back on the plane to Dortmund after that match.
"Mark said, 'Christian, you're going back to Dortmund. It's not what you did yesterday or today, you need to work even harder now.
"Today, to watch Pulisic's maturity and see how he handles the game and himself on the pitch, he is ready for the chance at Chelsea.
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"This is a different level, and the eyes on the world are really on him now, especially in the US. Everyone's aware of this thing now.
"The Premier League is followed by Americans everywhere, but this is such a huge event for US soccer."
And what can Blues fans expect from their new recruit? "His vision is remarkable," Harris said. "but the one thing I think Chelsea fans will love is that Christian loves to run at people.
"He just wants to beat you and I think he's ready to run at those backlines and frighten the opposition. He has an attacking mindset, and will also be able to set up a lot of goals too."