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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Tom Kludt

Folarin Balogun is the answer to US prayers. It’s a different story at Arsenal

Folarin Balogun has been valued at up to £60m by Arsenal
Folarin Balogun has been valued at up to £60m by Arsenal. Photograph: Amber Searls/USA Today Sports

It took less than a week for Folarin Balogun to do what no other United States player has done.

In a late season clash against Angers, Balogun collected his 20th goal in Ligue 1 for Reims, where he spent the previous campaign on loan from Arsenal. Coming only five days after his mid-May announcement that he was switching international allegiance from England to the US, the goal suddenly packed historic import: it made Balogun the first American player to score 20 or more goals in one of Europe’s top five leagues, an achievement the US Soccer Federation was eager to trumpet.

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