Folarin Balogun
Active- Current or last club
- Monaco
- Country (nationality)
- United States
- League or competition
- Ligue 1
- Position
- Striker
- How is the religion known?
- Reported by reputable media
- Last checked
- 9 October 2026
We list a player’s religion only where they have spoken about it publicly or it has been reliably reported, and we link our sources. If something is wrong, or a player’s views have changed, please tell us and we will review it.
Table of Contents
What religion is Folarin Balogun?
Folarin Balogun is an American professional soccer player who practices the Christian faith. His religious beliefs became a prominent topic of discussion after he was captured on camera openly wearing a Holy Rosary around his neck following a match for the U.S. Men’s National Team during the 2026 World Cup.
Balogun plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the United States national team. He is a product of the Arsenal youth academy. In 2022, he joined the Ligue 1 side Reims on loan before moving to Monaco the next year for €40 million.
Among his career achievements, Balogun was named Monaco 2025–26 Player of the Season and earned a spot as a finalist for the U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. He has also represented both England and the United States at various youth levels and later represented the USMNT at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he scored 3 goals in 4 matches.
Early life
Folarin Jolaoluwa Jerry Balogun was born on July 3, 2001, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Nigerian parents Florence and Ben Balogun. His birth in the United States was actually an accident of timing. While his pregnant mother was visiting family in New York, airlines refused to let her fly back to England so close to her due date. As a result, he was born in America rather than London, where the family was based. They returned to England about two months later, and Balogun spent nearly his entire childhood growing up in South London alongside his older brother, Royce, and his sister.
He joined Arsenal’s Hale End academy at age eight in 2008 and quickly built a prolific scoring record through every youth level. His standout moment came during the 2018–19 season, when he fired the under-18 team to a league title by scoring an incredible 25 goals in just 19 games. This exceptional form earned him his first professional contract with Arsenal in February 2019.
Career
Balogun made his senior Arsenal debut on October 29, 2020, later recording his first senior goal against Molde in November, followed by a goal and an assist in a 4–2 Europa League win over Dundalk that December. In April 2021, he signed an extended contract with Arsenal and went on to make his Premier League debut against Brentford on the opening day of the current season.
To find regular game time, he spent the second half of the 2021–22 season on loan with Championship side Middlesbrough, where he scored three times in 18 games. He was subsequently loaned again to Ligue 1 club Stade de Reims for the 2022–23 season. At Reims, Balogun scored 21 league goals in 37 appearances and 22 across all competitions. That stellar run made him the highest-scoring player his age or younger across Europe’s top five leagues and the division’s fourth-highest scorer.
Monaco
Balogun returned to Arsenal for pre-season in the summer of 2023 but did not feature in a competitive match. After Chelsea’s interest cooled, AS Monaco agreed to sign him on August 30, 2023. The transfer fee was widely reported around £35 million ($43 million) with a 17.5% sell-on clause for Arsenal. He signed a five-year contract keeping him at the club until June 2028.
His first season in Monaco brought eight goals and seven assists, but his second year was severely hampered by shoulder and ankle injuries that limited his output. He fully recovered his form by his third season, where he scored in five consecutive starts for club and country heading into the 2026 World Cup and earned Monaco’s Player of the Month honors for February 2026.
By the summer of 2026, with just under two years left on his contract, reports indicated he favored a move away from the club. However, Monaco does not intend to sell him cheaply. It is reported that the Ligue 1 club hopes to receive at least a €50 million transfer fee.
International career
Balogun represented England at the youth level, including the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, before being called up to a United States Under-18 training camp that same year. He progressed through England’s Under-17, Under-18, Under-20, and Under-21 levels and subsequently scored six goals in 10 appearances for England’s U-21 side in qualification for the 2023 UEFA U-21 European Championship in 2021 and 2022.
On 16 May 2023, FIFA approved Balogun’s application for a switch to represent the United States national team after rejecting a future with England and Nigeria. He debuted that June in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals against Mexico and scored his first international goal days later in a 2–0 final victory over Canada.
He maintained his strong form by netting against Bolivia and Panama in the 2024 Copa América, followed by goals in three consecutive starts against Japan, Ecuador, and Paraguay during the fall 2025 international window.
Balogun was named to the United States squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held on home soil. He scored a brace in the USMNT’s tournament opener against Paraguay and subsequently bagged back-to-back FIFA Player of the Match awards.
Red Card incident
Balogun was shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic during their 2-0 win in the previous round. FIFA later suspended the resulting one-match ban for a year, citing a rule that allows punishments to be suspended, much to UEFA’s incredulity. This allowed him to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium, though the U.S. was ultimately eliminated in a 4–1 defeat.
Personal life
Balogun holds triple nationality: American, British, and Nigerian. In addition, he speaks fluent English and French.
