Folarin Balogun has announced himself on the biggest stage of all.
The American media cannot get enough of the former Arsenal striker.
Balogun scored twice in the United States’ 4-1 opening World Cup victory over Paraguay in the early hours of Saturday morning, becoming the first American to score multiple goals in a World Cup match since the inaugural tournament in 1930.
He was named Player of the Match, received a standing ovation when substituted in the 71st minute, and left the stadium having delivered one of the most memorable individual performances in USMNT history.
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Balogun grew up through Arsenal’s Hale End academy before featuring sparingly for the first team, spending loan spells at Middlesbrough and Reims — where he scored 22 goals in a single season, the highest ever by an American in a top five European league.
Arsenal sold him to Monaco for £34million in August 2023, where he has since been named Player of the Season and matched a Kylian Mbappe record.
He also scored a brace in the Champions League against PSG — the side that beat Arsenal in the final.
US media hails Folarin Balogun as the player America has been waiting for
The reaction from the American media was emphatic. CBS Sports gave him a player rating of nine, describing his second goal as an “absolute golazo” and declaring: “The USMNT have a striker, finally.”
ESPN rated him eight and highlighted not just the goals but his all-round game — his hold-up play, his runs in behind and his ability to win fouls against bigger centre-backs.
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Christian Pulisic, probably the most recognisable name in American ‘soccer’, heaped glowing praise on his teammate: “The kid’s insane. He’s lethal right now. We’re really lucky to have him.”
NBC went further, saying the performance was the culmination of years of effort to convince Balogun to choose the USA over England.
Born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents, raised in London and capped at youth level for England, Balogun surprised people in 2023 by committing to USA.
Saturday morning felt like the ultimate validation of that decision. He is a hero in America.
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