Meet Folarin Balogun, the star US striker at the Fifa World Cup whose red card ban just got overturned
The tri-national, who cut his football teeth with Premier League Club Arsenal, qualified to play for Nigeria, England and the US … find out how
Folarin Balogun, USMNT (United States Men’s National Soccer Team) striker, turned 25 on July 3 – but his red card ban on July 1 probably muted the celebration.
The red card was later overturned by Fifa on July 5, allowing Balogun to play in the USMNT’s upcoming round of 16 match against Belgium on July 6.
Trump later thanked Fifa for overturning Balogun’s red card suspension in a post on Truth Social, saying: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), on the other hand, stated that it was “astonished” by the decision, which media outlets and netizens alike are calling controversial.
But how did Balogun get into the US team in the first place? And did you know he qualified to play for three different countries?
How did Folarin Balogun end up playing for the US?
While many USMNT players hold dual citizenship, Balogun holds three, making him eligible to play for the US, the UK and Nigeria. Both Folarin’s mum and dad are Nigerian, while he attained his UK citizenship through naturalisation, as he grew up in London, where his parents moved to before he was born.
