On Friday, the United States faces off against Paraguay in its first match of the 2026 World Cup. Team USA will host Paraguay on its home turf, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Team USA’s biggest star is Christian Pulisic, the winger known to fans as “Captain America.”
We recently published a list of the 20 richest players at the World Cup and the 50 highest-paid players at the World Cup. Christian’s net worth is $30 million. His salary is $6 million. Unfortunately, neither figure is enough to land Christian a slot on either list. BUT, as a small consolation, he is BY FAR the richest and highest-paid player on Team USA!
(Photo by Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images)
The $73 Million Breakthrough
After leaving Pennsylvania as a teenager, Christian joined Borussia Dortmund, one of Europe’s best clubs for developing young attacking talent. His early professional wages were modest by elite European standards, but his rise was rapid. After breaking into Dortmund’s senior team and becoming part of the club’s Champions League rotation, his salary climbed into the multi-million-dollar range.
The true turning point came on January 2, 2019, when Chelsea agreed to buy him from Dortmund. The transfer fee was €64 million, equal to roughly $73 million at the time, shattering the record for an American player. Pulisic stayed with Dortmund on loan for the rest of that season before joining Chelsea full-time in the summer of 2019.
That move did two things at once: it made Pulisic the most expensive American soccer player ever, and it placed him on a Premier League contract that instantly lifted him into a different financial category.
The Chelsea Years
At Chelsea, Pulisic earned an estimated base salary of roughly $7.8 million per year. That figure was supplemented by team bonuses, appearance incentives, Champions League money, and commercial value tied to his status as the top American player in England.
His time at Chelsea was uneven on the field, partly because of injuries and partly because of the club’s constant managerial changes. But the high point was enormous. In 2021, Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League, and Pulisic became the first American man to play in a Champions League final.
The AC Milan Renaissance
In July 2023, Pulisic moved to AC Milan on a four-year contract with an option for an additional year.
The move turned out to be exactly what his career needed. At Milan, Pulisic became a regular starter and one of the club’s most important attacking players. He found stability, consistent minutes, and a role that allowed him to produce goals and assists from wide and central positions.
Financially, his Milan salary is lower than his Chelsea peak, but still elite by American soccer standards. Capology estimates Pulisic’s AC Milan contract pays him €5.13 million gross for the 2025-26 season, or about €98,654 per week. That equals $6 million per year before bonuses.
Career Earnings
Across Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, AC Milan, United States national team appearance fees, tournament bonuses, and endorsements, Christian Pulisic has compiled gross career earnings approaching $60 million. And that does not include endorsements…
Endorsements
Because the tournament is on home soil, blue-chip corporations have poured historic advertising budgets into Pulisic. His baseline endorsement earnings of $3 million to $5 million per year have surged closer to $7 million due to heavy global campaigns:
- Michelob ULTRA: Starring alongside Lionel Messi in a prime global cinematic campaign.
- Pepsi: Fronting the “Soccer Deserves Pepsi” U.S. campaign alongside David Beckham and Vinícius Júnior.
- Degree Deodorant: Headlining the massive international “Here for Sweat” campaign.
- Additional Partners: Corporate terms with McDonald’s, Hugo Boss (BOSS), Gatorade, Chipotle, Hershey’s, Panini, and Chips Ahoy!
And those are outside of his most important sponsor: Puma. In August 2021, Christian left Nike and signed a long-term deal with Puma that pays an estimated $1.5 million to $3 million per year.
Here’s how Christian’s club salary compares to his Team USA teammate salaries:
| Player & Club | Salary |
|---|---|
| Christian Pulisic
AC Milan (Italy) |
$6,030,000 |
| Malik Tillman Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
$5,550,000 |
| Timothy Weah
Marseille (France) |
$5,350,000 |
| Johnny Cardoso
Atlético Madrid (Spain) |
$4,900,000 |
| Sergiño Dest PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) |
$4,610,000 |
| Tyler Adams
Bournemouth (England) |
$4,250,000 |
| Antonee Robinson
Fulham (England) |
$4,250,000 |
| Folarin Balogun Monaco (France) |
$3,790,000 |
| Weston McKennie
Juventus (Italy) |
$3,780,000 |
| Brenden Aaronson
Leeds United (England) |
$3,180,000 |
| Yunus Musah Atalanta (Italy) |
$3,010,000 |
| Matt Turner
New England Revolution (USA) |
$1,780,000 |
| Giovanni Reyna
Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany) |
$1,330,000 |
