In a ranking of scorers who include regulars like Wissam Ben Yedder, Jonathan David and of course Kylian Mbappé (currently injured for three weeks), seeing the name of Folarin Balogun at the top is surprising after twenty days.
It is however a habit for the English striker to shake the nets, he who had this aptly named reputation of gunnery on the side of the young people of Arsenal: 38 goals scored with the under-18s, then 37 achievements with the under-18s. 21 years old. Reims smelled the right thing by going to get him on loan to replace Hugo Ekitike, who left for Paris Saint-Germain.
In a Stade de Reims which regularly gives way to young people, like its coach Will Still, only 30 years old, Folarin Balogun has flourished since the beginning of August, with 15 goals, in all competitions confused. His hat-trick scored this week against Lorient, his first as a professional, allowed him to show his full panoply of goalscoring: a cold-blooded penalty, a foxing goal from the surfaces and an inspired volley. In the 21st century, the English who came to Ligue 1 were not great successes: David Beckham, Joe Cole or Joey Barton. Folarin Balogun is becoming an exception.
54 – Folarin Balogun has scored 54% of Reims’ goals in Ligue 1 this season (14/26), the highest share for a single player in the top 5 European leagues this season. Triple. pic.twitter.com/dIs4JDsH0C
There is no shortage of praise for the one who had had little professional playing time until then, with Arsenal and then on loan for Middlesbrough. “Balogun is incredible,” his coach Will Still said at a press conference on Wednesday. He has a great lucidity on the penalty and, then, he scores two goals of exceptional quality. It shows the attacker and the character he is. He works a lot to allow the team to be in this situation. That’s wonderful ! »
The compliments come not only from his Champagne entourage but also from an illustrious former Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry. On Amazon Prime, the consultant did not fail to underline the qualities of the young number 9, but also his risk-taking by coming to Ligue 1. “I was surprised that he came to the French championship, usually young English people stay at home, in the Championship or in a slightly more modest Premier League club. It already shows his state of mind. Me, what I like about him is that he’s an English striker: he plays deep, he fights, he puts pressure and he also finishes. He is not afraid of anyone. “At the end of the meeting against PSG, after having cooled the Parc des Princes, the Reims striker took the opportunity to take a photo with his idol, in the company of a teammate. Passing through the Arsenal training center, Thierry Henry then insisted on the technical work that Balogun had to prioritize in order to perform at a high level. The young Englishman seems to have learned the lesson.
However, nothing was certain when he arrived in Reims. In a club that has often had offensive difficulties in recent seasons, nothing predicted such success, as indicated by Maxime Masson, commentator for Stade de Reims, at Le Point. “Even if the label of an Arsenal-trained striker aroused curiosity, he did not arrive with an aura and no one could imagine that, at the start of February, he would be the top scorer in L1. Nevertheless, Balogun acclimatized very quickly to the championship and to life here. He put himself in the best possible mood. He had no competition in his position, he had playing time immediately. Whether under Oscar Garcia but especially with Will Still, and a more attacking style of play, he enjoys it. »
In a much more playful Stade de Reims and above all undefeated for four and a half months, the number 29 from Champagne is omnipresent. “He brings the depth that Stade de Reims lacked, his attacking partner Junya Ito prefers touching the ball rather than being thrown. He’s in pretty insolent form and he hasn’t had a starvation period in more than three games. Compared to recent successes, like Boulaye Dia and Hugo Ekitike, he has something more, I think. Balogun reminds me, all things considered, of Shabani Nonda, the former Monaco striker: he has both feet, he is always well placed, he is good with his head… He is a real bomb. »
If the idea was at the start to loan him next season in a Premier League club, Mikel Arteta would like to test his young striker during the preparation, before fixing his future for the 2023-2024 season. But whatever happens in the career that promises to be radiant for the 21-year-old striker, we will not forget this crucial Reims stage in his development.
