Borussia Dortmund starlet Christian Pulisic has revealed his time playing football in England as a youngster played an important role in helping him discover his passion forfootball, theDaily Mailreports.
The 18-year-old American has become one of Europe's hottest young properties since making his professional debut for Dortmund in January earlier this year.
He became the Bundesliga's youngest ever foreign goalscorer in April at 17 years of age, while just a month later, he became the USA's youngest ever goalscorer before becoming Dortmund's youngest ever player to play in the Champions League at the beginning of the season.
And the USA international credits time spent in England as a seven-year-old for the 'passion'
he has for football.
"It's a big reason where I am today," he said of his year in England. "A lot of people don't realise but it really brought on my passion for the game. After school every day, I was just out for hours in the park, playing with my schoolmates.
"That's really where my love for the game started to come alive and that was a big part of my development."
Pulisic revealed that while he didn't attend the matches of particular teams, he grew to love the 'intensity' of the Premier League after watching matches with his dad.
"There were so many players that just showed so much skill and confidence in their games. I just loved the English style," the 18-year said.
Playing for Brackley Town in Oxfordshire eleven years ago, the American said it was at that point that he knew he wanted to become a professional footballer.
"I thought [before] it was just for fun," Pulisic added. "I just started to love it so much and I said 'Wow. I'm pretty good! I think I can do something with this game'."