Arsenal's Folarin Balogun to play for USA over England after FIFA approves switch of national eligibility

Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun has chosen to represent the United States at international level rather than England. Balogun was born in New York but soon moved to London and grew up there. He was also eligible for Nigeria through his parents.

Ad He has represented England and USA at youth levels, most recently scoring six goals to help England qualify for the European Under-21 Championship this summer. Premier LeagueArsenal tie down Balogun as Smith Rowe talks reportedly start26/04/2021 AT 13:26 He will not be competing at the tournament after FIFA approved a request to change his national eligibility to the USA. Balogun appeared to confirm the news via his Instagram account, where he published a video with the caption: 'Let's make history!'.

Players are permitted to switch before playing a competitive game at senior level. Arsenal forward Balogun has been in brilliant form this season during a loan spell with Reims. He has scored 19 goals in Ligue 1 and is behind only Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, who has 26 goals, in the scoring charts.

Discussing his background earlier this year, Balogun told the Ligue 1 website: “My parents were on holiday there for a few months because we have family in New York. But very soon after I was born, we all moved back to London. “London is my city, it's where I grew up, where my friends are, and if people ask me where I'm from, I say I'm English.

But, yes, I am a mixture of all these cultures.” Did Arsenal really 'bottle' the Premier League? Man Utd eye competition for De Gea — Paper Round Balogun could make his debut for the USA when they face Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League on June 16. It is not clear where Balogun’s future lies at domestic level. When he returns to