Olivier Giroud, working this week as a Sport pundit, made a simple prediction: Christian Pulisic can carry the United States deeper into World Cup 2026. "One of the players I know best and appreciate most is Christian Pulisic of the USA, who was my team-mate at Chelsea and AC Milan," Giroud said, adding that "he has got what it takes to take the US team to the next level over the next few weeks."
Giroud framed his verdict from the perspective of someone who has seen Pulisic up close at club level. He pointed to their shared time at Chelsea and AC Milan, noted Pulisic's move to Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, and even used the nickname Milan gave the winger — "Captain America" — as shorthand for the responsibility Pulisic now carries for his country.
The endorsement carries measurable weight. Pulisic has scored 33 goals in 85 games for the USA and became the youngest captain of the men's team when he first received the armband at age 20. Those numbers and that status underwrite Giroud's argument that Pulisic is not just a marquee name but a consistent match-winner when fit.
Giroud's credentials as an observer are also hard to ignore. He retired from international football in 2024, has been at every major finals with France since 2012 and last played at major finals for France in 2024. "I am enjoying this tournament in a different role, as a Sport pundit," he said, and he travelled on Monday to see France play Northern Ireland in Lille before returning to studio duties.
Still, praise from Giroud came with a practical caveat: Pulisic did not finish the United States' match against Paraguay. "He came off at half-time against Paraguay because of a calf problem," Giroud said, and added that he was not surprised by how well Pulisic had played in that game. The contrast — high performance followed by an injury-related substitution — is the story's central friction.
That tension is amplified by Pulisic's recent club form. Giroud reminded listeners that Pulisic "has had a so-so season for Milan," saying Milan "started well but later collapsed and did not qualify for the Champions League," and that Pulisic "went a few months without scoring at Milan." The sequence helps explain why questions about form and fitness have dogged Pulisic heading into the tournament, and why every appearance now carries outsized scrutiny.
Giroud also spoke from the standpoint of experience at major tournaments. He scored 57 goals in 137 appearances for France between 2011 and 2024, helped France win the 2018 World Cup, and told viewers he wants the same for his old side: "I want the same thing too - I just wish for them to bring the third star, for a third World Cup win, back home." His endorsement of Pulisic is thus not casual flattery but the assessment of a former forward who has seen what a top scorer can do on the biggest stage.
For the United States, Giroud's view is both a vote of confidence and a reminder of fragility. Pulisic remains the clearest attacking fulcrum; Giroud's prediction that the winger can lift the team "over the next few weeks" hinges on that calf settling quickly. Fans who trace Chelsea's recent eras — from Eden Hazard to more recent figures — will recognise how a single player's form can tilt a nation's hopes.
The unanswered, immediate question is sharp: will the calf problem prove a brief knock or a tournament-stopping issue? The answer will decide whether Giroud's forecast plays out. For now, the England-based studio punditry and the Lille sighting are done; the next test is on the pitch, where Pulisic must return from his half-time substitution and show he can carry the USA the rest of the way.
