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Santiago Gimenez Joins Christian Pulisic and Ballon d'Or Winner on Exclusive AC Milan List
When Santiago Giménez scored in his home debut for AC Milan in the 1–0 win vs. Hellas Verona, he did more than just win his team three valuable points, he also wrote his name into Rossoneri history.
The Mexico national team striker has now scored in his first two Serie A games since arriving to Italy, a feat only accomplished two other times in AC Milan history since Serie A adopted the three points per win model in 1994–95.
Giménez joins USMNT captain Christian Pulisic and the legendary 2004 Ballon d'Or winner, Andriy Shevchenko, as the only Milan players to score in their first two league games for the club.
With his debut league goal to seal the victory vs. Empoli, plus his game winner against Hellas Verona, it's been a dream start for the Cruz Azul academy product to his Milan career in Serie A.
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Pulisic reached this mark when he scored against Bologna and Torino in his first two league games in 2023–24. Meanwhile, Shevchenko, against Lecce and Perugia, scored the first two of his 24 goal debut season in Serie A, which culminated in him winning the golden boot in 1999–2000.
If Giménez scores in his next Serie A game vs. Torino, then he'll set a new record as the only Milan player to find the back of the net in his first three league games.
It's been an impressive start to the 23-year-old center forward's career in Italy. In less than two weeks, he's got two goals and one assist in four games across all competitions, with the fans at San Siro already serenading him with chants and applause.
Giménez will hope to continue his strong form and help Milan overcome a 0–1 deficit when they host his former club, Feyenoord, in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff tie on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
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-06ad2d29b37d2cca1a44008a56289260.png "Roberto Casillas")
Roberto Casillas is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering Liga MX, the Mexican National Team & Latin American players in Europe. He is a die hard Cruz Azul and Chelsea fan.