Chelsea star Christian Pulisic becomes the new face of Puma with boot deal

Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic has signed a record-breaking boot deal with Puma who are supporting him in a project to take football to the underprivileged in America.

Chelsea fans will be able to see images of their £58million signing and his customised pair of Pulisic ULTRA 1.3s on a billboard outside Stamford Bridge and the USA captain will debut the boots when he faces Villarreal in the European Super Cup final on Wednesday.

Sportsmail has been granted a special preview but footwear apart, Puma have promised to help Pulisic as he strives to make an impact off the pitch in the US.

At the height of the Covid outbreak, like his Manchester United counterpart Marcus Rashford, Pulisic donated meals for medical workers in his native Pennsylvania and has poured $500,000 (£360,000) into developing playing fields for youngsters there.

Now, with Puma's backing, he wants to take football to the greater masses, helping the game to grow and inspiring the next generation of players to break through.

'Anyone who loves soccer, should be able to play,' said Pulisic. 'We have a platform in sports and if something is truly meaningful, you can really help to open people’s eyes and make changes.

What I love about Puma is they share my passion and my goal to support youth soccer in America and to help the next generation to chase their dreams.

'I just want to ensure every boy, girl of every race and ability can play and enjoy the game. It just seems a simple thing to help people.'

Pulisic has trailblazed his path from Pennsylvania to Dortmund to London, breaking numerous records since his Bundesliga debut in 2016.

Raised in Hershey, he spent a year in England when he was seven years old joining Brackley Town's youth set-up and it was there he set himself the goal of becoming a professional player.

He is the youngest ever USA captain, the first American-born winner of the UEFA Champions League and the most valuable USA player in history.

'Christian’s journey has been incredible and has really paved the way for so many young American players who dream of playing in Europe for the world’s biggest clubs,' said Johan Adamsson, Global Director of Sports Marketing and Sports Licensing at Puma.

'Not only have we signed an amazing talent, but a fantastic person off the pitch who wants to continue to grow soccer in America, a goal Puma has committed to support.'

Pulisic, who idolised Portugal and Real Madrid midfielder Luis Figo as a child, added: 'In many ways it was a no-brainer for me to join Puma. Their technical innovations revolve around speed, which is one of my biggest weapons.

'It’s an honour to follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest players to have ever played the game, Pele, Maradona, and Johan Cruyff who wore their boots.'

After winning the Champions League, Pulisic topped off a memorable season, by scoring the winning penalty and captaining USA to the CONCACAF Nations League title over Mexico in the final. In a hostile atmosphere, Pulisic kept his cool to score in the 114th minute.

'In the final against Mexico, we always have a big rivalry with them, so it was a very intense game and I was very happy to get the winner as well.'

The 22-year-old was one of the first players to return back to pre-season training at Chelsea and will be looking to force his way into Thomas Tuchel's first team plans ahead of the new season despite competition increasing with the pending arrivals of Romelu Lukaku and Jules Kounde.

'The goal is definitely the Premier League title. After such a successful end of season the guys are just hungry for more. We all want to bring titles to the club that's the goal that we always set.

'It's going to be tough for sure, City, Liverpool everyone is battling and getting stronger but so are we. We have a great squad and definitely feel we can go after the major titles.'