World Cup: who is Folarin Balogun, the new hero of the United States

The United States of America craved a center forward with the same hunger as the gold miners in the old West and they found him in the home of the old colonizer. Folarin Balogun, America’s new hero after his double in his debut at the home World Cup, is a true Londoner with a Cockney accent. In reality, this extremely talented, modern and expert striker in the art of various attacks is a citizen of the world, due to the Nigerian origins of his parents which add to the rest: he belongs to three States, or rather three Continents, and after so much suffering he has finally had the deserved showcase with the national team which he chose at the end of long reflection. The inaugural 4-1 is a political message sent by all the soccer players, but above all by Balogun, the best of the day: the ears of those who snubbed Pochettino’s team and, perhaps, of the many who over the years have approached this Arsenal school gem without sinking at the right moment are ringing. In 2023, Inter, immediately after the disappointment of the Istanbul final, was prey to Romelu Lukaku’s worries and negotiated the Anglo-American-Nigerian to add a new striker with different characteristics compared to Lautaro and the newly arrived Thuram. The 23-goal season on loan at Reims had caused a sensation, but in the end Monaco put 30 million cash on the Gunners’ table, too much for the Nerazzurri in that era. It is no coincidence that Inter then knocked on Bologna for Marko Arnautovic: another price, but also another return.

from movies

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At the end of the match against Paraguay, inside the imaginary SoFi sold out despite the predictions of disaster, full of enthusiasm and celebrities even more than the NY Garden for the Knicks, everyone was looking for the 25-year-old scorer of two goals. It’s not a common thing for the Americans to do so at the World Cup: the last person to score more than one was Bertrand “Bert” Arthur Patenaude, he scored a hat-trick in the 1930 group stage and, historical events, that time he was playing against Paraguay. For his part, in the end, “Balo” spoke with a thread of emotion and with surprising pride in the stars and stripes: “We sent a strong message and demonstrated the quality and personality of this team – his words -. When I chose to represent the United States, I always said that my goal was to repay the affection and support that the fans showed me. This match was another opportunity to do so and I hope to continue to demonstrate that I have made the right decision”. Even more fascinating than the two goals and any other career relaunch after this global overexposure, however, is his story, a bizarre twist of fate since birth. The perfect plot for a Scorsese film. Her parents, Nigerians living in London, were in New York on holiday when her mother was pregnant. At a certain point she was supposed to return to England, but the airline prevented her from boarding: her baby bump was too obvious, the birth was too close. So, no return trip and a few days later, on July 3, 2001, Folarin was born in Brooklyn, with the American passport attached that so many desire and few obtain.

enough Netflix

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This coincidence twenty-five years later would change the fate of the US national team. After a few months, when the Twin Towers were no longer there, the family returned to London, where little Balo grew up and took root in the Arsenal youth sector. He himself has explained in the past how London is “his” city, the place where he has friends, memories and roots: the British speech exhibited in the mixed area contrasts with the American slang of his companions. Yet, Folarin has never denied the fact that he feels like a mix of different cultures, with particular attention to the call of mother Africa: for years the Nigerian federation hoped to convince him to wear the shirt of the national team, the Super Eagles. In England they considered him one of the best talents of his generation, so much so that Balogun went through the entire youth system with the Three Lions. In short, he could choose three national teams and kept three federations on tenterhooks before pronouncing three letters in 2023: USA. And what does a striker with three homelands do after scoring a goal with his right foot and a pearl on the left in the first World Cup of his life? Something that is good at any latitude: “I watch Netflix in the hotel, I deserved it”.