US Men's National Team star Christian Pulisic is set to receive his own anime-themed treatment as part of a collaboration between AC Milan and eFootball, marking a significant milestone in the fusion of football and Japanese pop culture.
The collaboration, which enters its second volume, features Pulisic alongside AC Milan teammates Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, and Mike Maignan in special edition cards inspired by the popular manga series Captain Tsubasa. This follows the successful launch of the initial collaboration between eFootball and Captain Tsubasa in December 2024, which significantly boosted the game's popularity.
The special cards aren't limited to Milan players, as former Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar Jr., now with Santos, also receives a unique card illustrated by Yoichi Takahashi-sensei, the original artist behind the beloved football manga series. This integration of football stars into the anime world represents a creative marketing approach that has already proven successful.
For Pulisic, this anime representation adds to his growing list of high-profile marketing appearances. The 26-year-old American has been a familiar face in advertisements since his breakthrough at Borussia Dortmund, featuring in campaigns for American restaurants, Volkswagen, and Gatorade, among others.
The timing of this collaboration coincides with Pulisic's impressive form at AC Milan, where he has emerged as one of the team's standout performers this season. Despite the club's challenging campaign, which sees them sitting eighth in the league table and 19 points behind leaders Napoli, Pulisic has maintained exceptional performance levels. He currently stands as the club's second-highest scorer with six goals in the league, just behind midfielder Tijjani Reijnders who has seven, while also contributing four assists.
The collaboration is particularly significant for eFootball, which underwent a complete rebranding from its previous identity as PES (known as Winning Eleven in Japan) in 2021. After initial struggles following its relaunch as eFootball 2022, the game has steadily gained traction to become a established presence in the gaming market.
AC Milan, despite their recent 1-1 draw against city rivals Internazionale and ongoing managerial challenges, have shown signs of improvement and strengthened their squad with the winter acquisition of striker Santiago Gimenez from PSV Eindhoven.
