Folarin Balogun is a professional soccer player born in Brooklyn, New York, in 2001 to Yoruba Nigerian parents. He plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the United States national team. Raised in London, he began his career at the Arsenal Academy and was promoted to the first team in 2020. He rose to prominence during a loan spell at Reims, where he scored 22 goals in one season.
Club career
Balogun joined Arsenal at the age of eight and signed a professional contract in 2019, making his senior debut in the Europa League in 2020. After spells on loan at Middlesbrough and Reims, he moved to Monaco in August 2023 for a reported fee of €30 million, which could rise to €40 million with add-ons. He was later named the club's player of the season for 2025–26, a campaign in which he finished as Monaco's top scorer.
International career
Eligible to represent the United States, England, and Nigeria, Balogun played youth football for England and was called up by the United States under-18 team in 2018. He qualified for the United States through birthright citizenship and decided in May 2023 to play for the senior team. He made his debut in June 2023 and scored his first goal in the final of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League, which the United States won.