He's on fire at the end of the season. Scoring his 13th top-flight goal to lead the team to a crucial victory at the Stade Saint-Symphorien against FC Metz (1-2), on Matchday 32 of Ligue 1 McDonald's, Folarin Balogun continues to be a decisive force. This impressive run of form has made him one of the best strikers in Europe in recent weeks, as shown by data shared by our provider Opta. 📊
A key player in the 7-game winning streak 📈
He has been simply unstoppable since February 21st and AS Monaco's stunning victory at RC Lens (2-3). Having already enjoyed a strong Champions League campaign (5 goals in 10 matches), the Monegasque number 9 has since been insatiable in the league. The American striker has been a major contributor to the Red and Whites' run of 7 consecutive wins in the top flight, scoring a goal in each of the last six (Lens, Angers, PSG, Brest, Lyon, and Marseille), including a sublime lob against OM.
Eight in a row, equaling Kylian Mbappé's record 🥇
But as if Balo wasn't satisfied, he continued his incredible climb up the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts with two more goals against Paris FC and Auxerre, bringing his tally to eight consecutive matches with at least one goal. "Balogoal" is thus one of only two players in Europe's top five leagues to have achieved this feat this season, alongside Kylian Mbappé (8 from September to November 2025), according to Opta. Once again decisive in Metz this Saturday, the American has now scored nine times in his last ten appearances.
Top scorer in the Big 5 leagues during this period 🇪🇺
Quite simply, no one else in Europe's top five leagues has done better, sharing the spotlight only with Patrick Schick (Bayer Leverkusen, also with 9 goals). In the French league, for example, he surpasses Estéban Lepaul over the same 11-week period (8 goals from February 21st to May 3rd). It's therefore no surprise to also find him in a high position in terms of the number of big chances created (12, 4th in the Big 5), shots on target (14, 7th in the Big 5), and touches in the opposition's penalty area (68, 7th in the Big 5), notes Opta.
Incredibly precise 🤯
Even more interesting regarding his accuracy, Folarin Balogun is, over this same period of two and a half months, the 4th most successful player in the Big 5 leagues, with a remarkable 31% conversion rate! Simply put, only Arsenal's Viktor Gyökeres is significantly ahead in this regard (40%), while the American international once again surpasses the current Ligue 1 top scorer, Esteban Lepaul (30.8%).
Among the best in terms of goals-per-minute ratio ⌚
Clinical, Balo' has been particularly consistent in his performances lately, averaging a goal every 92 minutes, which once again places him among the best finishers in Europe (7th). The Monaco player finds himself alongside players like Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, 1 goal/62 minutes), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen, 1 goal/69 minutes)... and Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal, 1 goal/89 minutes). Only Joaquín Panichelli is more consistently decisive in France (Strasbourg, 1 goal/85 minutes).
A tireless worker 🌪️
But while his goals in this final stretch put so much pressure on opposing defenses, his contributions to the team are equally valuable. Folarin is indeed the 4th Ligue 1 player to perform the most pressing in the final third (239 since February 21st), as well as the 5th to make the most runs in behind (83), proof of his enormous work rate. It's no wonder he won the MVP award for April, despite not receiving the recognition he deserved at the UNFP awards for the previous two months, given that he has now been involved in 23 goals this season across all competitions (19 goals, 4 assists).
