CBS Sports analyst and former American soccer player, Mike Grella, has called out Christian Pulisic for not being more 'selfish' when it came to taking AC Milan's penalty kick during their tough 2-1 loss to Napoli on Sunday.
The match, which saw the Rossoneri drop to ninth in Serie A, featured a controversial moment when Pulisic (perhaps the club's most efficient penalty taker) handed the ball to Santiago Gimenez, who ultimately missed the spot kick.
SANTI GIMÉNEZ HAS HIS PENALTY SAVED BY ALEX MERET pic.twitter.com/82Lxdk00CS
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 30, 2025
Grella pointed out that Pulisic’s decision to be timid in such a crucial moment was a mistake, especially considering the role he's expected to play at AC Milan. "In that moment, him being timid, not taking the penalty… he’s their penalty shooter," Grella explained.
He also referenced a previous incident under former coach Paulo Fonseca at Fiorentina, where it was made clear that Pulisic was the designated penalty taker after both Theo Hernández and Tammy Abraham missed their attempts in the same match.
AC Milan have missed two penalties in their match against Fiorentina (Taken by Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham)
Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic has never missed a penalty for club or country (including Milan) in his career before with a 10/10 record ♂️ pic.twitter.com/fNlQRNj074— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) October 6, 2024
"There’s a time to be selfish" — Christian Pulisic criticized for handing penalty take to Santi Giménez
"In that moment, though, he should say ‘you should showed up here a month ago, get off the football, it’s my football, I’m taking the penalty'... there’s a time to be selfish, there’s a time to be a bad guy, especially if you’re a footballer" the former New York Red Bulls attacker emphasized.
"If he takes that penalty, I’m sure he scores it—because of his record and how good it is," Grella added.
“There is a time to be selfish.”@MikeGrella10, @_poppymiller, @IFTVMarco, and Nigel Reo-Coker discuss whether Christian Pulisic is still Milan’s penalty taker pic.twitter.com/qwEpwZWNbK
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 30, 2025
Pulisic missed his latest penalty attempt in the Rossoneri's away Serie A clash against Torino last February, marking his first-ever error from the spot in this career.
