A 21st birthday holds a special weight, especially in the U.S.
It represents a moment of freedom that acknowledges one has entered adulthood.
As a professional athlete living in London, Christian Pulisic wouldn’t have the chance to celebrate that day like most young Americans.
Instead, he was focused on his fitness and getting ready for hosting Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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Chelsea didn’t want the moment to go by without it feeling special for him, so they treated the winger to a special gift on the day, a video message from some of his favorite athletes wishing him "Happy Birthday".
They learned his favorite teams when he recently held a Q&A on the club’s Instagram account.
Chelsea worked with the New York Jets, Philadelphia 76ers, and NY Rangers to have a few of their players to record birthday wishes to the U.S. Men’s National Team player.
The NY Rangers went one step further surprising him with a customized jersey of theirs, too.
"Some awesome players on there, guys that I look up to."
— Chelsea FC USA (@ChelseaFCinUSA) September 20, 2019
Players from @cpulisic_10's favorite 🇺🇸 teams took the time to wish him a very happy 21st birthday 👇 pic.twitter.com/5rznoWhs5m
After seeing the video, with a noticeable smile from cheek-to-cheek, Pulisic said: "All my teams man. We had the Sixers, we had the Jets and we had the Rangers.
"Some awesome players on there, guys I look up to. It’s cool to get a birthday wish from them.”
The Pennsylvania-native has had a mixed start to life in the Premier League. In 277 minutes of league action he has yet to score but has one assist.
His skills on the ball have not gone unnoticed, and is currently tied for seventh-most completed dribbles for a player with fewe than 300 minutes played