Folarin
BALOGUN

Born in 2001 in New York, Folarin Balogun moved with his family to London when he was 2 years old. The young Anglo-American grew up in England and began his football career with London club Albersbrook. A precocious talent, he was quickly spotted by Arsenal, whom he joined at the age of 8. There, he trained at every youth level from 2009 to 2019, before signing his first professional contract at the age of 17. He played a further 8 games for the Gunners before joining Middlesbrough Football Club on loan in the winter of 2022 for the second half of the season. With Boro, Folarin made 18 Championship appearances (3 goals, 3 assists). After his spell at Middlesbrough, Folarin joined Stade de Reims on loan and discovered Ligue 1 Uber Eats. In Champagne, the American international had a convincing season (22 goals and 6 assists in 39 games), earning him several UNFP Player of the Month awards. Folarin later opted for the US national team, and in June this year the Brooklyn native received his first call-up to the US national team, competing in the final stages of the CONCACAF Nations League. After eliminating Mexico in the semi-finals (3-0), the American players went on to beat Canada in the final (2-0), a match in which Folarin scored his first goal and won his first title with Team USA. In the 2023-2024 season, the player made a back-to-back by again winning the CONCACAF Nations League against Mexico (2-0), then with the Red and Whites the player scored 8 goals and 7 assists in 32 games before joining the US national team to compete in the Copa America. The American striker played 16 games in the 2024-2025 season, scoring 4 goals and providing 1 assist.