Dortmund, Chelsea, AC Milan—Christian Pulisic certainly has a remarkable CV when it comes to the domestic front. Representing such big-name clubs also means he’s shared a locker room with some truly remarkable names throughout his club career. While there are many to mention, none quite match the ‘level‘ of Marco Reus in his book.

Loyalty, class, and sheer talent—that’s what comes to everyone’s mind when they think about Reus. Well, one of the benefits that Pulisic was able to take advantage of after moving to Borussia Dortmund from America at 15 was that he was able to see the German international with his own eyes. No wonder that made the USMNT star wonder, “He’s doing things I haven’t seen!”

“It would be hard to just pick one, to be honest,” Pulisic began during his interview with GQ when asked about the best player he’s witnessed against or even by his side. “But when I first arrived and I watched the first game live in Dortmund, I was watching Marco Reus. He was in a position that I really liked.”

This is exactly what we mentioned earlier. We don’t know about others but Reus definitely had charisma, which only a few could spot but if successful, there’s no way you’ll take your eyes off him easily. “I just couldn’t believe how smooth and silky he looked when he had the ball, and the way that he just was gliding on the field,” added the AC Milan forward.

A Dortmund academy product since 1995, Reus managed to rise through the ranks of the Black and Yellow, before being sent on a 3-year stint each at Rot Weiss Ahlen and Borussia Mönchengladbach, eventually returning to Signal Iduna Park in 2012. It was after a few years Pulisic arrived and was able to train and later play alongside the attacking midfielder.

“And then, yeah, once I got to know him, train with him, see the level that he is and how he trains and how he works. A player like that is someone that I respected a lot,” concluded Pulisic, who was able to lift the 2016 German Cup with Reus.

Of course, there’s no doubt about what Pulisic would have learned from Reus over the years. While Mr. Captain America’s gameplay reflects much of what he gained under the leadership of the Dortmund icon, there’s just one trait the 26-year-old couldn’t quite master!

Christian Pulisic failed to emulate the biggest trait that Marco Reus was known for!

Well, it’s not much the hype but dedicating yourself to one club is something that only Marco Reus and a few ardent fans understand. Despite being poached by the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and many elite clubs who were ready to pay a dime for his transfer, the midfielder rather rejected all the offers just to stay where he all began. Such, however, wasn’t the case with Pulisic, who signed for Chelsea in 2019.

In fact, Reus was among the big names at Dortmund who rooted for the current Milan forward to stay at Signal Iduna Park. “Christian is a good guy, he has so much quality. I hope he plays [for Dortmund] for many, many more years, but we will see over the next few years,” admitted the German superstar during an interview with ESPN once.

But the inevitable happened, as Pulisic went to north London, while Reus remained with the German side until the summer of 2024 when he bid farewell to his boyhood club. Today, Marco can now be seen enjoying the American dream, having signed with LA Galaxy and even recently winning the 2024 MLS Championship aside from notching a goal and 3 assists in 11 games.

Dominating in the land of devotee, now that’s some true idol stuff!