On-loan Arsenal starlet Folarin Balogun, on Sunday, continued to etch his name indellibly into the history books of European football.
Hitman Balogun, of course, secured a fresh departure from The Emirates during last summer’s transfer window.
Despite a largely productive loan spell in the Championship with Middlesbrough over the 2nd half of last season, Mikel Arteta and co. evidently came to the conclusion that the England youth international was not yet ready to contribute on a weekly basis back in north London.
Balogun, in turn, was farmed out once more, on this occasion linking up with Ligue 1 outfit Stade de Reims.
And what a stint he has since gone on to enjoy in France.
After quickly establishing himself as the attacking spearhead in Will Still’s squad, the 21-year-old has gone on to light up the French top-flight, continuing to showcase his undoubted qualities in front of goal.
Afforded his latest starting berth in Reims’ Ligue 1 meeting with Angers, the frontman netted his side’s 2nd goal of the day, en route to a 2-2 stalemate:
BALOGUN GOAL 🇺🇸🇫🇷🦅⚽️ New USMNT striker ❤️🙂 Folarin Balogun scores his 20th of season for Reims in 2-2 draw with Angers, becoming 1st U21 player to score 20+ league goals in Europe’s Top 5 divisions this season (per @Squawka). 🙌pic.twitter.com/8Ftw60Wpza
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) May 21, 2023
And, in the process, Balogun became the first American to ever hit the 20-goal milestone in a single season in one of Europe’s top-five leagues:
Folarin Balogun is the first American to score 20 goals in a top five league. 👏
The previous record was Clint Dempsey with 17 in 2011-12 with Fulham. pic.twitter.com/CU1tEpixwv
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 21, 2023
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