Christian Pulisic was meant to be the United States’ leading light at the World Cup on home soil.
But the attacker, whose career began at Borussia Dortmund and took him to Chelsea before seeing him land with current employers AC Milan, was arguably the tournament’s biggest let-down.
Truth be told, the 27-year-old has made something of a rod for his own back.
The many commercials and marketing campaigns Pulisic starred in ahead of and throughout the World Cup cast him as the USMNT’s great hope.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s side were eliminated with a whimper via a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the round of 16. Pulisic was anonymous for the first hour of that encounter, after which he was hooked.
However, while Pulisic’s reputation may have taken a bit of a drubbing throughout the tournament, his bank balance certainly has not.
Pulisic estimated to make $20m in endorsement deals
Puma, Volkswagen, Gatorade and Pepsi are among the blue-chip brands that Pulisic has lent his name and likeness to
At Milan, his salary is believed to be worth $7.5m. But that is dwarfed by the amount he takes home from his various endorsements.
According to Front Office Sports, a sports business industry publication, the Pennsylvania-born player picks up about $20m from other commercial sources.
That makes him one of a handful of players whose salary is exceeded by other income streams. Other examples include Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-Min, both players who – like Pulisic – dominate geographic markets in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
