How £58m Chelsea transfer Christian Pulisic was discovered in England aged just seven

Prodigy: Christian Pulisic (circled) with Brackley Town in 2005
Isobel Frodsham3 January 2019

A youth football coach who helped to kickstart the career of Chelsea’s new £58 million signing Christian Pulisic has said he was an “out of the world” player — even at the age of seven.

Robin Walker was a key influence on US-born Pulisic when he played for non-league Brackley Town Juniors during a spell in England as a child.

Mr Walker told the Standard he was “really proud” after the 20-year-old’s move from German club Borussia Dortmund was announced pn Wednesday, making him the most expensive American player ever.

He said he recognised Pulisic’s talent immediately when he joined the Northamptonshire team as a child for a year when his mother was a teaching exchange.

“The first time I saw him on the ball straightaway I thought he had something about him,” he said. “I had never seen a player like him. It was almost like watching something out of this world.

“He had something magical about him. You can’t coach that in someone. His touch, his speed.

“He was quite small then, he would get kicked and fouled and get straight back up again. It was unbelievable — parents commented on it.”

Mr Walker remains in touch with the player and his parents. And the lifelong Blues fan revealed he had advised Pulisic to consider a move to Stamford Bridge during a visit to Germany last summer.

During his time at Brackley, Pulisic was placed with players who were a year older than him, as Mr Walker said he would have “wiped the floor” with footballers his own age.

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The 56-year-old added: “With footballers, if they’re quick, that’s good, if they’re athletic, that’s good, if they can bounce back after a hard tackle, that’s good as well, and he had all of that. He could see a pass as well. His brain was ahead of the others naturally.

“We had quite a successful team. But we didn’t always win, and when we didn’t he was distraught, more so than the other players. When he was at the club, we won about seven or eight tournaments. A year later, around April 2006-7, he came back for a few weeks and we played in Holland on a Sports Tour. We won that too.”

Done deal: Pulisic will join Chelsea in the summer after returning to Dortmund on loan until the end of the season
Getty Images

Mr Walker said of the player: “I like him a lot because he’s humble and he deserves every success that is going to come his way. He’s been brought up in the right way to respect others, he’s a nice lad. He’ll do well at Chelsea because of his work ethic. The fact that I’m a Chelsea fan is the icing on the cake.”

Pulisic’s fee is the third-highest paid for a Bundesliga player. He will be loaned back to Dortmund as part of the deal before moving to London permanently in the summer.

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