Christian Pulisic is an icon for many aspiring to climb the ladders in the USA football (soccer) scene, but he’s also a bit of a style icon with a lot of clever tattoos all over his body. The Chelsea winger seems to be a big fan of inking clever art into his body and has been doing it for many years now.
Pulisic has had an admirable climb to the top of the European football scene. After impressing in his youth career with the US Soccer Development Academy club PA Classics, he caught the eye of Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund.
Clearly impressed by his quality, Dortmund brought him to Germany and inserted him into their youth academy in 2015. Just after a year after that, Pulisic’s amazing performances got him his Dortmund debut at the age of 18. He was able to make a bright mark with his exciting performances, being blessed with pace, impressive dribbling ability, and a sweet final product.
He joined Chelsea for a whopping £58 million figure in 2019, becoming the most expensive American to ever play in the Premier League. Pulisic has gone on to win the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup titles with the Blues, but has slightly fallen out of favor since Graham Potter’s appointment.
Despite his uncertain future, Pulisic is still the leader for the US National Men’s Team (USMNT) and scored twice for them in the 2022 Qatar World Cup too. While he tries to ensure that people are more focused on his gameplay than his appearance, the American winger has found many admirers for his range of tattoos.
The self-help tattoo
The 24-year-old winger has admitted that the first time he got a tattoo was at the age of 17 when he was still playing in the youth system at Dortmund. One of the most personal tattoos that he scripted can be seen on the area of his left arm just above his left elbow.
It’s actually a tattoo of a quote that reads: “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”
This quote is actually inspired by American self-help author Oliver Napoleon Hill, who is best known for his book ‘Think and Grow Rich’. Hill’s books were intended to help people understand that high expectations are essential to improving one’s state of life.
The Eagle and Flag tattoo
In the left upper arm and shoulder area, Pulisic’s most prominent and glaring tattoo can be visible. It’s the tattoo of a giant American bald eagle. The American national flag is tattooed just behind the eagle and glaring stadium lights can also be seen in the background.
This is easier to decrypt, as the eagle and flag tattoo is the ultimate tribute from Pulisic to the United States of America and symbols that are iconic in the country.
The Tiger Eye tattoo
A really stylish and awesome tattoo that Pulisic inked onto his body was that of a Tiger’s eyes. It can be seen on the side of his left arm and the winger has often showcased the tattoo after goal celebrations for Chelsea, almost like a ‘mask’ after seeing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pull off the ‘Batman’ celebration at Borussia Dortmund.
Pulisic got the tiger tattoo as a tribute to his icon Tiger Woods. It’s also because 1998 is known as ‘the year of the Tiger’.
Speaking about the significance of this tattoo, Pulisic said –
I have always loved tigers, but also probably my favorite athlete growing up was Tiger Woods. I loved watching him play. So yeah, I was thinking what kind of tattoo I could get and I knew I was born in the year of the tiger, and I had always loved tigers, and I was a fan of Tiger Woods, so it all kind of just felt right.
The Roman Numerical Date tattoo
Pulisic also has a tattoo around his left wrist area that shows the roman numerical numbers “XII XIII MMXIII’. This actually marks the date of 13.10.2013 or 13 December 2013, which is a special date in his football career.
That is because Christian had excelled in a game against Brazil’s U-17 team and one where he helped the USA U-17 side defeat them 4-1. He scored a goal and provided an assist, which helped him win the MVP award for the match. The date marks one of the most memorable moments in Pulisic’s career and one he loves so fondly that he’s scripted it onto his body.
The Mike Wazowski tattoo
Pulisic is clearly a huge fan of scripting tattoo’s on his left arm and also has one on the inner side of his left upper arm side. There is a tattoo of a cartoon on that side along with a crown and a sun emitting rays behind it.
The ‘sculpture’ in particular is actually a character of Mike Wazowski from the popular animated movie ‘Monsters Inc’. That remains one of Pulisic’s favorite movies of all time and that is why he’s scripted it onto his hands too. This tattoo is also a tribute from Pulisic to his country, especially with the crown and sun rays on it.
The very personal Queen and ‘Mate’ tattoo
The recent-most tattoo which Pulisic had inked onto his body happened after Chelsea’s Champions League title win in 2021. Soon after the tournament, the winger brandished a new tattoo of a Queen’s chess piece onto the upper side of his left arm too. There is also the name of ‘Mate’ written on the piece too.
Explaining a special reason behind this unique tattoo, Pulisic said:
I had it done after the Champions League final. There’s no great significance to the queen, though it’s a cool piece — versatile, powerful and can move anywhere.
It (mate) was my grandpa who taught me how to play when I was younger. I was nowhere near his level and I wish we’d played more but I’m glad we shared that. It’s a memory I hold close to my heart. That’s why the tattoo is so special to me.
Pulisic has strangely decided to do all his tattoos on his left arm and there is no real space remaining on that arm anymore. So it’s safe to say if he wants to ink any more personal tattoos onto his body, it must be somewhere else.