Pulisic reveals what Modric did for Milan squad to avoid singing an initiation song | OneFootball

Christian Pulisic has revealed that former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric bought his Milan teammates a set of very generous gifts in exchange for getting out of having to do a traditional initiation song when he first joined the Rossoneri over the summer.

How Modric bought his way out of Milan initiation

Modric joined Milan on a free transfer over the summer following a 13-year spell with Real Madrid, during which time he won the Champions League six times and also became the first player not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d’Or in over a decade.

A regular tradition across the football world is for new players to get up and sing a song in front of their new teammates after joining a new club.

Pulisic has recently revealed that Modric escaped without having to sing for his new teammates, but instead bought them all brand new iPhones instead.

DUBLIN, IRELAND – AUGUST 09: Luka Modric of AC Milan looks on during the pre-season friendly match between Leeds United and AC Milan at Aviva Stadium on August 09, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

“One of the funny stories about Luka Modric at AC Milan is that when he joined the club, he didn’t go through the initiation process. He decided not to and gave you all iPhones,” Kate Scott asked Pulisic in a recent interview for CBS Sports.

“I didn’t know that was out there,” Pulisic replied.

When asked if the story is true, Pulisic said: “Yeah, I don’t know if I’m supposed to confirm it, but yeah, I guess it is.”

He then went on to explain what the usual initiation process involves: “You have to get up in front of the team and sing. It’s a pretty worldwide kind of thing. It’s just something you do in soccer. When you’re Luka Modric and you have a Ballon d’Or and a few Champions Leagues to your name, you can skip that process. We’re also not going to say no to new iPhones,” he joked.

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 28: Christian Pulisic of AC Milan celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and SSC Napoli at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 28, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Pulisic went on to reveal what he decided to sing in front of the Milan squad when he first joined from Chelsea in 2023.

“I sang Miley Cyrus’s Party in the USA, I thought it was fitting. That worked out well, the guys liked it.

“I think I might have done something similar at Chelsea, I kind of forgot.”

Pulisic explained that he finds the initiation process to be ‘uncomfortable’ and says that it often makes him ‘cringe’.

“It’s the worst moment in the world, but even more so to be honest when I’m the one at the table watching other young kids go up and do it. I hate that even more. Some people love it, they’re laughing.

“But it’s so uncomfortable, they’re so nervous, it makes me cringe, I try to just clap them off as quickly as possible. I’ve seen some unbelievable performances, and I’ve seen people literally crumble.”

Is there a particular initiation performance that stands out to Pulisic across his time with Milan, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund?

“At Chelsea, we had this one physio, his name was Billy. He would kind of be like the host. He would literally put on outfits. If an Argentinean player would come, he’d put on a whole outfit about their culture and he’d make them get up and sing. That was a crazy culture they had there, he led that. Those are my best memories.”