Christian Pulisic’s xG Overperformance Has Only Been Bettered By Two Players in Europe This Season
As Europe's top leagues near approach the halfway stage of the season, only two players have outperformed on their Expected Goals (xG) more than Christian Pulisic.
Charlie Rhodes
Updated on 29 December 2025
Christian Pulisic’s importance to AC Milan simply can not be understated, and his ability to fashion chances out of very little is underlined by the fact he ranks among the biggest xG overperformers in Europe this season.
As Christian Pulisic’s combined goal involvements for AC Milan hit the half century mark, it is telling that only Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez boasts more since his arrival in Serie A.
Where Milan would be without their main source of goals – and creativity for that matter – is a thought the Rossoneri hope they won’t have to confront any time soon.
For context, removing Pulisic’s goals this season shows Milan would be eight points worse off, and ranked as low as sixth.
AC Milan’s stuttering attack, which despite being hampered by a string of injuries and misfiring strikers, is just about plodding along in the race for the Scudetto.
Niclas Fulkrug will arrive in January in an attempt to paper over the cracks appearing amid Santiago Gimenez’s injury, but it is Pulisic who could be the catalyst for silverware.
The Biggest xG Overperformers in Europe 2025-26
Lautaro Martinez is the only player to outscore Pulisic’s eight goals in Serie A this season, although the latter has a far superior game-to-goal ratio.
Despite missing five games through injury and starting just 38% of the maximum possible minutes he could have, the 27-year-old has 1.21 goals per 90, and a staggering goal every 74 minutes.
It is not inconceivable to think Pulisic would be much further out in front in the Capocannoniere race, had it not been for a hamstring problem towards the end of October.
When he is on the pitch, he has a knack for scoring goals and fashioning chances seemingly out of thin air.
The extent to which he outperforms on his Expected Goals is bettered only by two players in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (4.71 overperformance) – who has scored three goals from outside the box this term – and Harry Kane’s stupendous overperformance of 6.29, rank just ahead of Pulisic (4.31).
| # | Player | G – xG | xG | Season | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Kane | 6.29 | 12.71 | 2025–26 | Bayern | 19 |
| 2 | Morgan Rogers | 4.71 | 2.29 | 2025–26 | Aston Villa | 7 |
| 3 | Christian Pulisic | 4.31 | 3.69 | 2025–26 | Milan | 8 |
| 4 | Tajon Buchanan | 3.54 | 1.46 | 2025–26 | Villarreal | 5 |
| 5 | Nico Paz | 3.34 | 2.66 | 2025–26 | Como | 6 |
| 6 | João Neves | 3.26 | 1.74 | 2025–26 | PSG | 5 |
| 7 | Can Uzun | 3.22 | 1.78 | 2025–26 | Frankfurt | 5 |
| 8 | Hugo Ekitike | 3.19 | 4.81 | 2025–26 | Liverpool | 8 |
| 9 | Ryan Gravenberch | 3.10 | 0.90 | 2025–26 | Liverpool | 4 |
| 10 | Yan Diomandé | 3.02 | 2.98 | 2025–26 | Leipzig | 6 |
Charlie Rhodes
Charlie has built a deep portfolio across a wealth of sports websites, with a heavy focus on Europe's top five leagues. He has a long-standing interest in Serie A having grown up watching Football Italia on Channel 4 as a child. With extensive experience tailored towards news, long-form content and heavily researched features, Charlie has also garnered experience in several roles in the fintech and marketing sector.
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