Pulisic thanks BVB for giving young players a chance, hopes to join Chelsea as Bundesliga champion

There’s a certain bit of (unintended) irony in Christian Pulisic’s fantastic farewell statement to Borussia Dortmund, as he thanks the fans for the support, his teammates for the guidance and wisdom, and the club ... for giving young players like him a chance.

Ironically, having collected over 100 appearances for the club in the last three years, the now veteran 20-year-old Pulisic himself has had quite a bit of fight on his hands this season from even younger challengers like Jadon Sancho (18) and Jacob Bruun Larsen (also 20, younger by 1 day) ... and now he joins a club who famously are very reluctant to give youngsters a chance (at least those without a massive price tag). Granted, Chelsea’s ideal plan is to develop Callum Hudson-Odoi alongside Pulisic, but that plan seems just a bit too good to be true at the moment.

In any case, that should not take away from Pulisic’s moment in the transfer market sun. His farewell statement is very well crafted and hits all the right notes.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I will be entering my final months at (y)our world-famous Club.

“It feels like only yesterday that I arrived in Dortmund as a raw, excited, very nervous but exceptionally proud 16-year-old from a small American town called Hershey. I had no idea what lay ahead but I soon discovered that as a young Schwarzgelben, I would be in the best possible hands.

“I would not be where I am today without the Club and their belief in giving young players a chance. It’s been an honor and a dream to pull on the black-and-yellow in front of the Südtribüne!

“Many, many memorable moments stand out — to have experienced all of them before my 20th birthday still feels, at times, like a dream. I would like to thank all those coaches who I have played under and who gave me these opportunities.

“And to many amazing teammates throughout the years: You took me in as a young boy, shared your experience with me, helped me to develop and grow into a professional footballer. Fort this I sincerely thank you.

“To our unbelievable fans: It’s been a privilege to stand with you on the Südtribüne and to experience how you support your heroes. I feel honored to have been able to make the trip from being supporter, to being supported. You have taken me in as one of your own. Thank you.

“I would also like to thank Mr. Watzke and Mr. Zorc. It was very important to me that I handled my situation in a fair and professional manner as possible towards the Club. So I thank them for finding a solution that was a win-win for everyone.

“In summer of 2019, I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League. It’s a privilege to have signed for a such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world class players. Looking forward to working with Maurizio Sarri and his technical team.

“But for the next six months, it’s all BVB! Please do not doubt my passion, determination and my 110% commitment to the team right until the last ball is kicked this season. We all feel that this is ‘our year’ and we are determined to achieve the best possible results in all competitions.

“Heja BVB!

-Christian #22

Borussia Dortmund are six points clear of big bad Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga at the winter break. BVB last won the league in 2012; it would indeed be an excellent accomplishment for them and for Pulisic if they were to do it this year, and we can only wish them all good luck in those endeavors.