Folarin Balogun is tied for the second most goals scored by an English player in Ligue 1 with Glenn Hoddle. Have you heard about the young English player who scored more goals in France than Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, and who will give Arsenal a “positive headache”?
When Reims signed Folarin Balogun, a striker on loan from Arsenal who had scored three goals for Middlesbrough the previous season, it didn’t make a lot of news, but now everyone is watching him, as zodiac casino, because of the popularity.
The England Under-21 forward has scored the most goals in France’s Ligue 1 with 14. He plays for a team in the middle of the table that is managed by another Englishman, Will Still, who is only 30 years old and has never played professional football.
In the last 10 days, Balogun has scored an equalizer in extra time against Paris Saint-Germain and a hat trick against Lorient.
Balogun’s Very Successful Season
Only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Victor Osimhen have scored more goals than Balogun this season in the top five leagues in Europe.
Reims had only won one game when Still took over as manager, at first as a caretaker, on October 13. Since then, they haven’t lost a game. The 21-year-old has been in great shape throughout his time in France. In his first six games under Garcia, he scored five goals.
You can’t understate how important Balogun is to this Reims team. He has scored 54% of their league goals (14 out of 26), which is more than any other player in the top five leagues in Europe.
This season, only six Reims players have scored in the league. Junya Ito has scored four goals, which puts him in second place.
Glenn Hoddle scored 18 goals for Monaco in 1988-89, making him the only English player to score more goals in a Ligue 1 season. Balogun has 16 more games to score five goals and beat that record.
What Will Balogun Do Next?
In the 2020-21 Europa League, Balogun got two starts for Arsenal. Based on how things are going right now, given that Arsenal is five points ahead at the top of the Premier League, Balogun could return to the English champions this summer.
Balogun signed a four-year contract at Emirates Stadium in 2021. He is two years younger than Eddie Nketiah, who is the main striker for the Gunners right now because Gabriel Jesus is hurt.
Balogun has got 15 goals this season, including one in his first game in the French Cup. He wouldn’t have to start from scratch at Arsenal, either, since he had already played 10 times for the team in the past two years. Balogun scored in Europa League games against Molde and Dundalk, and he also played for the club in two Carabao Cup quarter-final games.
Who Could Have Predicted This?
Balogun gained three goals in the championship between March 8 and April 2. He scored against Sheffield United, Birmingham, and Peterborough. Balogun’s form looks nothing like it did last season when he gained three goals in 21 games for Middlesbrough after joining them on loan in January. Paul Addison, who is in charge of sports for BBC Tees, says that Flo Balogun didn’t play much for Boro last year.
