There was a time, just a few short years ago, when seeing an American in the Champions League was a novelty. Fans would huddle around illegal streams to catch a glimpse of Europe's top club competition and, hopefully, a glimpse at a U.S. men's national team star taking part of it.
Times have changed. The Champions League is a behemoth, with every game now broadcast and easy to track down. Americans, too, are now commonplace in it. At one point this season, nine Americans took the field on the same Champions League matchday. It's something that felt so, so far away about a decade ago.
Still, only one American has ever taken the pitch in a Champions League final—and he lifted the trophy at the end of it. That player is Christian Pulisic. And make no mistake: he wasn’t just along for the ride. Pulisic played a crucial role in Chelsea’s title run that season, scoring one of the club’s biggest goals en route to the final—against one of the biggest teams in world football.
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It's worth noting that Jovan Kirovski was technically the first American to win the Champions League, but he didn’t feature in Borussia Dortmund’s 3–1 victory over Juventus.
So, ahead of this weekend's Champions League final, GOAL looks back at Pulisic's Champions League moment and why it mattered so much to those who follow the American game.