A prospect who was born in the United States to Nigerian parents and grew up in England chose the nationality of his birthplace.
Local British media reported on the 16th (Korean time) that the International Football Federation (FIFA) approved the change of American nationality to Arsenal prospect Paularin Balogan.
The media reported that “FIFA approved the request of the American Football Federation to change Balogan’s nationality from England to the United States on the 16th.”
Born in 2001,메이저놀이터 Balogan was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. In an interview with the Ligue 1 secretariat of Reims, France, where he is playing on loan this season, he said, “My parents had relatives in New York and went there on vacation. That’s where I was born and immediately my family moved to London. back,” he said.
“London is my city. It’s where I grew up and where my friends are. If people ask where I’m from, I’ll say I’m English. But I’m a mix of cultures from both countries.”
Balogan’s parents are from Nigeria, so he is also an option for the Nigerian national team, but until recently, the Nigerian side hadn’t contacted him.
Vallogan joined Arsenal’s academy in 2011 and began his development. In 2019, he skipped to the U-23 team, a second-team team, and occasionally appeared in cup competitions.
Balogan went on loan to Middlesbrough in January last year, and after signing a first-team contract in July, he is spending this season on loan at Stade Length.
He’s having a remarkable season. He scored 19 goals and 3 assists in 34 Ligue 1 matches, and is tied for 5th in the scoring rankings with Roa Offenda (Lance).
Balogan mainly spent his age squads in England. Starting with the U-17 national team, he has served with the U-18, U-19, U-20 and U-21 national teams. However, once in August 2018, he joined the US U-18 national team and played 4 games.
The England U-21 team is set to participate in the U-21 European Football Championship, which will be held in Georgia and Romania in June. In that situation, the Football Association of England agreed to change the nationality of Balogan.
Balogan has no record of participating in an A match yet, so it is possible to change nationality smoothly. FIFA permits a change of nationality before participating in three friendly matches for the A national team or participating in competitive competitions.
The United States invited Balogan to Florida in March, where talks were reportedly held about a change of nationality.
The United States is ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup co-hosted with Canada in June. There is a possibility that Balogan will join from this tournament.
Furthermore, if Balogan settles well with the US national team, he can also look forward to participating in the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America (USA, Canada, Mexico).
With Balogan joining the US national team, the England Football Association is missing out on a large striker resource. Already, the British media did not hide their regret when Balogan visited the United States during an A-match in March, saying, “The United States will lose the lumber of a target striker to succeed Harry Kane.” And it became a reality.