Folarin Balogun
Folarin Jerry Balogun (born 3 July 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Middlesbrough, on loan from club Arsenal. Born in the United States, he represents England at youth international level. Early life. Balogun was born in New York City and emigrated to England when he was two years old, growing up in London. His parents were born in Nigeria. Club career. Balogun joined Arsenal at the age of eight after being scouted while playing for his previous Sunday League side, Aldersbrook. Before trialling with Arsenal, he had trialled with North London rivals  Tottenham Hotspur and nearly signed for them. He signed a professional contract in February 2019. In July 2020, after failing to agree a new contract with Arsenal, he was linked with a transfer away from the club, including a proposed £8 million sale to Brentford. He made his senior debut in the Europa League on 29 October 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute in a group stage match against Dundalk. He scored his first senior goal on 26 November 2020, in a Europa League group stage match against Molde. On 26 April 2021, Balogun signed  a new long-term contract with the club. Balogun made his Premier League debut in a 2–0 loss against newly promoted Brentford on 13 August 2021. On 12 January 2022, he joined EFL Championship club Middlesbrough on a loan deal until the end of the season. International career. Born in the United States to Nigerian parents and raised in England, Balogun is eligible to represent all three nations at international level. After playing for England at the under-17 level and appearing in the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, he accepted a call up from the United States under-18 national team  in August 2018 for a training camp and a tournament in the Czech Republic. He played in all four of the United States' games in the Václav Ježek Youth Tournament and scored twice. He has also expressed interest in playing for Nigeria, although he has stated that he enjoys England's "style of play" which is "similar to Arsenal's". In 2019 he appeared and scored for the England under-18 national team in a tournament in Dubai. In October 2020 he made an appearance for the England under-20 against Wales. On 27 August 2021, Balogun received his first call up  to the England under-21 team. On 7 September 2021, he made his England U21 debut as a substitute during the 2-0 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win over Kosovo under-21s at Stadium MK. Style of play. Martin Keown has compared Balogun to Arsenal's legendary striker, Ian Wright, due to his speed and intelligent movement.