Christian Pulisic’s name has become impossible to ignore in 2025. Week after week, he has delivered goals, match-winning moments, and consistency at club level, while remaining a central figure for his national side. And yet, when soccer’s most talked-about annual rankings were released, the Milan star was nowhere to be found. As Christian Pulisic watched from the outside, players such as Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe all made the cut—fueling debate over one of the most controversial omissions of the year.
The exclusion has sparked strong reactions not only among supporters but also across broader discussions about reputation, geography, and how elite performance is ultimately measured.
Every year, The Guardian publishes its list of the 100 best male players in the world, a ranking compiled by a 219-person international jury of former players, coaches, analysts, and journalists. It is designed as a retrospective assessment of impact, quality, and influence across the calendar year.
This year, that jury once again delivered a list stacked with household names from Europe’s top leagues. Dembele topped the ranking, narrowly ahead of Yamal, while Mbappe, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, and Erling Haaland all featured prominently. What stunned many observers, however, was the absence of Pulisic—despite what has widely been regarded as the strongest year of his professional career.
see also
Christian Pulisic better than Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Rodrygo: Milan star outpaces Europe’s best wingers and forwards in 2025
Christian Pulisic’s case: Numbers, moments, silverware
The argument for Pulisic’s inclusion is not built on sentiment, but on output. In 2025, Pulisic finished the year with 18 goals and seven assists across all competitions, totaling 25 goal contributions before the holiday period. Those numbers came while playing in multiple roles, often carrying significant responsibility in attack.
Crucially, he also delivered on the biggest stages. The American led Milan to January’s Italian Super Cup glory, scoring in both the semi-finals and the final to secure the club’s first Super Cup title since 2016. That trophy remains the Rossoneri’s only piece of silverware this calendar year—making his contributions decisive rather than decorative.
Even as injuries disrupted parts of his current season, the 27-year-old has still emerged as one of Serie A’s most efficient forwards. He sits second in the league’s top goalscorer race, trailing only Inter’s Lautaro Martinez by a single goal heading into the final fixtures of the year.
see also
Christian Pulisic’s future takes new twist: Milan makes transfer call as renewal talks stall amid growing Premier League interest
Where the list actually fell
As a result, it’s merely surprising that Pulisic did not place anywhere in The Guardian’s Top 100 for 2025. Not 90th. Not 100th. Not even an honorable mention. Meanwhile, teammates and peers with less statistical impact did make the list. Rafael Leao, Pulisic’s club teammate, was included. Antoine Griezmann, despite a comparatively modest year for Atletico, also featured. Even players such as Antony and Mason Greenwood found space in the rankings. Perhaps more striking still: no United States men’s national team player made the list at all.
To understand the controversy, context matters. According to The Guardian, judges were asked to rank 40 players each, awarding points from 40 down to one. All votes were combined, with safeguards in place to mitigate the influence of extreme outliers.
“Considering our 219 judges handed out a total of 179,580 points, it shows how close this year’s ranking was,” the publication explained. Former stars such as Romário and Philipp Lahm were among the voters, lending authority—but also reinforcing the reality that the panel remains heavily Europe-centric.
