Stade de Reims’ Folarin Balogun disappoints England and opts for an international career with America. The 21-year-old goal machine of Stade Reims thus makes a surprising choice.
Not England, but America: Wonderkid in Ligue 1 takes the plunge
The 21-year-old Balogun, born and raised in New York, played in several youth teams in England and was also in the picture of national coach Gareth Southgate, while the American federation also had him in their sights. Bolagun therefore opts for America and disappoints England. “Representing the United States means a lot, more than people might think. I am very proud and honored to be given this opportunity and want to give everything I have to make our team successful,” says Balogun.
Balogun is one of the promises in Ligue 1: the striker has already scored nineteen times in 34 Ligue 1 games this season and has therefore been noticed by larger clubs from Europe. Balogun is on loan from Arsenal, where his contract runs until 2025.
Openda competes with Messi and Mbappé for prestigious prize
We shift our focus to yet another impressive Ligue 1 player in Loïs Openda who may be rewarded for the top season he is running at RC Lens. The former Vitesse striker has been nominated for the title of Player of the Year in Ligue 1. Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are also among the contenders.
Openda played on a rental basis for Vitesse last season, which hired him from Club Brugge and was sold to Lens for a whopping ten million euros last summer. In France, the fast striker had a dream season with nineteen goals and three assists, so attracting him has been a bull’s eye. Openda may be rewarded for his impressive statistics.
The competition is fierce, because, as mentioned, Messi (fifteen goals and fifteen assists for Paris Saint-Germain) and Kylian Mbappé (26 goals and five assists) have also been nominated. Lens midfielder Seko Fofana and Lille striker Jonathan David are the other contenders. Stars Alexandre Lacazette (Olympique Lyon) and Alexis Sánchez (Olympique Marseille) fell by the wayside.
Ligue 1 2022/23 top scorers
| Pos | Player | Club | Goals | Appearances | Goals per 90 | Mins per Goal | Total Shots | Goal Conversion | Shot Accuracy |
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | PSG | 26 | 31 | 0.92 | 98 | 104 | 0.25 | 0.71 |
| 2 | Alexandre Lacazette | Lyon | 24 | 32 | 0.84 | 107 | 74 | 0.34 | 0.68 |
| 3 | Jonathan David | Lille | 21 | 34 | 0.65 | 139 | 83 | 0.25 | 0.61 |
| 4 | Habib Diallo | Strasbourg | 20 | 34 | 0.69 | 130 | 67 | 0.3 | 0.58 |
| 5 | Lois Openda | Lens | 19 | 35 | 0.75 | 121 | 83 | 0.23 | 0.58 |
| 5 | Folarin Balogun | Reims | 19 | 34 | 0.62 | 144 | 93 | 0.2 | 0.57 |
| 7 | Wissam Ben Yedder | AS Monaco | 17 | 29 | 0.8 | 112 | 54 | 0.31 | 0.74 |
| 7 | Elye Wahi | Montpellier | 17 | 31 | 0.64 | 141 | 49 | 0.35 | 0.71 |
| 7 | Terem Moffi | Lorient | 17 | 31 | 0.62 | 145 | 61 | 0.28 | 0.57 |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | PSG | 15 | 29 | 0.52 | 171 | 84 | 0.18 | 0.62 |
