Pulisic, Mount and Carlton: The story behind latest viral picture posted by Chelsea FC

A picture of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Tom Carlton for their childhood days has been doing the rounds on social media since Chelsea posted it on their official Twitter account. In the photo, the trio can be seen sporting Chelsea kits, much to the surprise of the netizens considering that the American star was prised away last summer from Borussia Dortmund. It turns out while Mason Mount and Carlton were a part of the Chelsea youth set-up, Pulisic had spent days at Cobham during a summer camp in 2010. 

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Chelsea viral picture: Tom Carlton on being the third kid in the Mason Mount, Pulisic viral picture 

When Chelsea's official Twitter account posted a throwback snap of three academy kids the other day, two were instantly recognisable. Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic may have grown as footballers, but their facial features remain as distinct as ever and were easily recognized by netizens. However, the identity of the third kid with a bottle of Lucozade tucked under his arm was a mystery and wasn't identified, prompting many followers to ask who he was. Tom Carlton did not achieve the heights of Pulsisic and Mason Mount, and currently is a part-time player for Kent-based Herne Bay, of the Isthmian League South East Division - the eighth level of English football. 

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Speaking to The Athletic, Carlton admitted that he did not remember the Chelsea viral picture but explained how the picture came into existence. The report states that Pulisic, then 11, was on a five-day trial at Chelsea's Cobham base during the summer of 2010, playing with the club's under-12 side after being invited by one of the club's support staff. Carlton pointed that Pulsisic had a 'T" on his gear, which means he was a trialist. He added that he never knew he trained with Pulisic until he saw the Chelsea viral picture. Calton described the Chelsea viral picture as crazy and believes that as he grows up and sees who has made it and who has not, it's quite surreal. 

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Mason Mount came through Chelsea's academy team-by-team to become an established member of Frank Lampard's squad, while Pulisic joined Borussia Dortmund before returning to Chelsea in the summer. Carlton, on the other hand, was released by Chelsea when he was 14, along with Declan Rice and the duo subsequently joined West Ham. While Rice made it there, Tom was again released moving on to Colchester United and then Herne Bay in the summer of 2017. He currently combined playing in the non-league divisions with his job fitting windows and admits it is difficult to watch the other two boys in the photo, Mount and Pulisic, performing at football's top level. 

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(Image Courtesy: Chelsea Twitter)