Folarin Balogun, who could have played for England or Nigeria, scores 2 for US in FIFA World Cup debut
The 24-year-old forward scored the opening two goals in the Americans’ 4-1 victory over Paraguay in front of an enthusiastic, star-studded crowd of 70,492 dressed in red, white and blue at SoFi Stadium on Friday night.
“I dreamed of making my debut scoring a goal in the World Cup, but reality surpassed that,” Balogun said. “Such a dreamy night.”
Under the watchful eye of retired England captain David Beckham, Balogun became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match since 1930. At the time, Bert Patenaude had scored all three goals in the USA’s 3-0 win over Paraguay, the first hat-trick in World Cup history.
“The kid is crazy,” said teammate Christian Pulisic. “He’s killer right now. We’re really lucky to have him.”
Balogun was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City to Nigerian parents. A month later he moved to England, where he grew up in London. He joined Arsenal’s academy at the age of 8. He represented England at youth level and also played for the USA under-18 team.
England’s squad is traditionally star-studded. Nigeria could not qualify for this World Cup. So Balogun is making himself a household name in America this summer of football. “Everyone will look at the goals, but I really like how he fights against the centre-backs, keeps the ball, gets fouls,” Pulisic said. he said.
Balogun committed to play for the United States three years ago.
“I’ve always said that the fans give me a lot of motivation and show me a lot of support. The most important thing is always to be able to reciprocate it,” he said. “I want to continue to show the fans that I made the right decision.”
Balogun’s relatives were among the crowd, with extended family watching in the United States and London.
“I was able to spot them in the crowd, but it was difficult because so many fans were wearing red and white,” he said. “I had to reserve a lot of tickets, but I’m happy to do it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event and I want everyone to experience it.”
USA took the lead 1-0 with an own goal from Damian Bobadilla.
Balogun increased the difference to 2-0 when Christian Pulisic sent the ball to the penalty area and gave Balogun the 21st assist of his career. This moved Pulisic to fourth, the most in U.S. history.
Minutes earlier, Balogun almost scored another goal, but the goal was called back when the USA were offside.
Undaunted, Balogun scored again just before half-time, sending the ball into the top left corner for a 3-0 lead.
“I couldn’t process everything,” he said.
Balogun was returning to the team hotel to rest.
“Honestly, I think I’ll watch some Netflix,” he said with a smile.
