Ballon d'Or rival for Yamal? "Captain America" quietly closing in | OneFootball

At just 18 years old, Lamine Yamal had to concede defeat to Ousmane Dembélé in this year's Ballon d'Or vote. The Barça superstar is expected to win the golden ball sooner or later, as most football experts agree. However, in Italy, a competitor is currently making it more likely to happen later rather than sooner.

After winning the Scudetto last season, SSC Napoli carried the momentum into the current season. Before their away game against AC Milan, Antonio Conte's team had won all four league matches. However, against the Rossoneri, Gli Azzurri suffered a 1-2 defeat because the opponent's star player excelled.

At the moment, that star is not Rafael Leão or the newly signed veteran Luka Modric, but Christian Pulisic. The 27-year-old practically won the match single-handedly in favor of the new league leader. He scored the 2-0 himself and set up the opening goal with a run down the flank reminiscent of Gareth Bale's legendary move.

The American is currently the best player in Serie A in his core business. This is not just the opinion of an overexcited Milan fan, but is supported by numbers. No one can match him over 90 minutes in terms of goals and assists production or effectiveness.

If you rightly argue that five games are not enough to be a meaningful basis, you will find your master in the following statistic. Since his arrival in Milan, Pulisic has collected the most scorer points of all professionals in Serie A - in 75 matches.

Didn't really catch all that? Then you're far from alone - and you've made the former Dortmund player happy. Lamine Yamal visibly enjoys his well-deserved fame. Flashy hairstyle, diamond-encrusted jewelry, vacations with Neymar, and - let's say - extraordinary parties.

All this is far from Pulisic. "I'm very lucky to be in the position I'm in, as much as I don't like all this stuff that comes with it. I don't like taking pictures with strangers. I just want to do my thing when I'm in public," the introverted winger revealed in an interview with 'goal.com'.

Consciously, the passionate chess player thus withdraws from a previously barely tapped attention. In the co-host country of the 2026 World Cup, interest in the 80-time US international is high, relative to the fringe sport of soccer. Shortly after his transfer to Milan in the summer of 2023, investor Joe Pompliano reported that Pulisic jerseys were selling like hotcakes in the USA.

Moreover, the fan favorite justifies the nickname "Captain America" not only with the corresponding role and armband. Currently, the Pennsylvania-raised professional stands at 32 goals for the Stars & Stripes. Clint Dempsey, still a joint record scorer with 57 goals, was confident in a recent documentary about Pulisic: "If Christian continues to play for the national team as he does, he will end up being the most successful scorer of all time."

By then, the praised one would have another argument on his side that would justify a Ballon d'Or. Probably, at least one championship and an international title with Milan would be necessary simultaneously. At least for the former, Pulisic has made a good start in 2025/26. Today, at 8:45 PM, the next maturity test awaits with Juventus.

Or the 2021 CL winner fulfills his greatest dream. In a column for 'The Players' Tribune', the then 19-year-old imagined the following in 2017: "World Cup final... one minute to play... Pulisic has the ball at his feet... and he scores!". If that really happens on July 19, 2026, Yamal can pack up.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 PIERO CRUCIATTI - AFP or licensors