Pulisic Hazard Echoes As Giroud Recalls Chelsea Days And Hazard's Influence

Christian Pulisic’s latest World Cup display for the USA drew strong praise from former Chelsea teammate Olivier Giroud, who believes the winger can drive the national team’s campaign. Giroud linked Pulisic’s impact against Paraguay to qualities once seen at Chelsea, suggesting the attacker is central to any USA hopes of progress.

In the USA’s 4-1 World Cup opener against Paraguay, Pulisic again influenced the attacking play. The forward set up one of Folarin Balogun’s goals, taking Pulisic’s World Cup record to four goal contributions, with onegoal and threeassists. Since 1966, only Landon Donovan, with five, has produced more for the USA at the tournament.

Giroud linked Pulisic’s style to Eden Hazard, recalling their shared seasons at Stamford Bridge. The French forward joined Chelsea from Arsenal in 2018 and played alongside Hazard before the Belgian moved to Real Madrid in 2019. Giroud later spent two years with Pulisic, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund and operated mainly from wide or central attacking positions.

"Christian reminded me of Eden Hazard, with the way he took on opponents and found it easy to dribble past people," Giroud said on BBC Sport. " I played as a target man, and I needed some pace and movement around me, someone like [Pulisic] playing in the pocket between the lines and getting on the ball, looking for me and feeding off my flick-ons."

Hazard’s time at Chelsea set a high standard. The Belgian spent seven years in west London and produced 139 Premier League goal involvements. That figure ranks third in club history behind Didier Drogba, with 159, and Frank Lampard, who leads the chart on 237, underscoring the level Giroud referenced when discussing Pulisic.

Pulisic did not gain the same long-term status at Chelsea and departed for AC Milan in 2023. In Serie A with the Rossoneri, Pulisic has recorded 31 goals and 21 assists, underlining regular output. For Giroud, that club form matches the leadership role Pulisic holds with the national side despite not always wearing the armband.

"I was not surprised at how well he played against Paraguay because I think that he has got what it takes to take the USteam to the next level over the next few weeks," added Giroud. "I have always thought the USA are lucky to have him, because he has skill and intelligence. At Milan, we used to call him by his nickname, 'Captain America', because even when he wasn’t wearing the USA armband, he was their star player, with the biggest profile. No one is expecting the USA to win this World Cup, but if they are going to reach the knockout stage, he will be key."

For followers of both European club football and the USA national team, Giroud’s comments frame Pulisic as a player already trusted at elite level. The comparison with Hazard, the statistics in Serie A and the early World Cup influence highlight why expectations around Pulisic remain significant heading into the next fixtures.