Folarin Balogun

Folarin Jerry Balogun, born on July 3, 2001, is a professional soccer striker for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the United States national team. An academy prospect from Arsenal, he was promoted to the first team in 2020 and later loaned to Middlesbrough in 2022. He had a significant breakthrough while on loan at Reims, scoring 22 goals in his first season, setting a record for the highest goals by an American in a top five European league. In August 2023, he transferred to Monaco for €40 million ($43 million) and was named the 2025–26 Monaco Player of the Season.

Balogun represented both the United States and England in youth international competitions. In May 2023, he chose to play for the United States senior national team, debuting in June 2023. He contributed to the team’s victory in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League and scored his first goal in the final.

Early Life
Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Nigerian parents who were visiting from London. His mother was seven months pregnant at the time, and upon attempting to return, airline staff denied her permission to fly due to safety concerns. Consequently, he was born in New York and returned to the UK with his parents when he was two months old, growing up in London.

Arsenal
Early career
Balogun joined Arsenal at age eight after being scouted from Aldersbrook. He nearly signed with Tottenham Hotspur before his trial at Arsenal. In 2017, he helped the Arsenal U16 team win the Liam Brady Cup, defeating Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Juventus. He signed a professional contract in February 2019 but was linked to a transfer away from Arsenal in July 2020 after contract negotiations stalled, including a proposed £8 million move to Brentford.
2020–22: Senior team debut and loan to Middlesbrough
On October 29, 2020, he made his senior debut in the Europa League, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute, in a group stage match against Dundalk.[18][19] On November 26, he scored his first senior goal, in a Europa League group stage match against Molde.[20][19]

On April 26, 2021, Balogun signed a new long-term contract with the club.[21] On August 13, Balogun made his Premier League debut in a 2–0 loss against newly promoted Brentford.
On August 30, 2023, Ligue 1 side Monaco announced the signing of Balogun on a five-year contract,[38][39] for a reported fee of 30 million, which could rise to 40 million with add-ons.[40] On September 2, he played his first match for Monaco, coming on against Lens. During the match, he picked up his first yellow card for simulation after trying to win a penalty.[41] On September 17, he scored his first league goal for Monaco, three minutes after coming off the bench in a 2 2 draw to Lorient.[42] On September 22, he had his first start at the club, in which he missed two penalties in a 1 0 defeat against Nice.