A Hale End academy prospect of Arsenal, Balogun was promoted to the first team in 2020 and featured sparingly for the club, later going on loan to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough in 2022. In the following season, Balogun made his breakthrough in a loan to Ligue 1 side Reims, where he scored 22 goals in his one season.[4] In August 2023, Balogun left Arsenal and signed with Monaco for €40 million ($43 million).[5]
Balogun represented both the United States and England at the youth international level. In May 2023, he decided to play for the United States senior national team. He made his debut in June 2023, winning the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League and scoring his first goal in the final.[6]
Early life
Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York to Nigerian parents.[7] He moved to the United Kingdom with his parents when he was one month old,[8] growing up in London, England.[9][10]
Club career
Arsenal
Early career
Balogun joined Arsenal at the age of eight, after being scouted while playing for his previous Sunday League side, Aldersbrook.[11][12] Before trialling with Arsenal, he had trialled with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and nearly signed for them.[12]
He signed a professional contract in February 2019.[14] In July 2020, after failing to agree a new contract with Arsenal, he was linked with a transfer away from the club, including a proposed £8 million move to Brentford.[15][16]
2020–22: Senior team debut and loan to Middlesbrough
On October 29, 2020, he made his senior debut in the Europa League, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute, in a group stage match against Dundalk.[17][18] On November 26, he scored his first senior goal, in a Europa League group stage match against Molde.[19][18]
On April 26, 2021, Balogun signed a new long-term contract with the club.[20] On August 13, Balogun made his Premier League debut in a 2–0 loss against newly promoted Brentford.[21]
In August 2022, he moved on loan to French club Reims.[28][29] Balogun scored on his debut for the club on August 7, a 4–1 defeat to Marseille; fellow Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares, also on his debut, scored for Marseille in the match.[30] On January 29, 2023, Balogun scored a late goal in stoppage time to seal a 1–1 draw away to league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.[31] It was his eleventh goal in Ligue 1 during the season, the most of any player aged 21 or under in Europe's top five leagues.[31] Three days later, Balogun scored his first senior hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Lorient, his fourteenth goal of the season in Ligue 1.[32] This made him the top scorer in Ligue 1 at that time.[33] He finished the season with 21 goals, to be the fourth top scorer in the league.[4]
Upon his return to Arsenal for the 2023–24 season, Balogun stated he would not leave the club again on loan.[34] In August 2023, he was reported to have attracted interest from Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Monaco.[35]
On August 30, 2023, Ligue 1 side Monaco announced the signing of Balogun on a five-year contract,[36][37] for a reported fee of €30 million, which could rise to €40 million with add-ons.[38] On September 2, he played his first match for Monaco, coming on against Lens. During the match, he picked up his first yellow card for simulation after trying to win a penalty.[39] On September 17, he scored his first league goal for Monaco, three minutes after coming off the bench in a 2–2 draw to Lorient.[40] On September 22, he had his first start at the club, in which he missed two penalties in a 1–0 defeat against Nice.[41]
In the 2024–25 season, Balogun suffered a series of injuries which sidelined him most of the season. On May 3, 2025, he scored on his first start back from injury, a 3–1 win over Saint-Étienne.[42]
On November 4, 2025, he scored his first Champions League goal, securing a 1–0 away win over Bodø/Glimt.[43] On February 17 in the Champions League, Balogun scored a first-half brace against Paris Saint-Germain, though Monaco would ultimately lose 2–3.[44] One month later on March 6, he recorded another goal and assist against PSG, with Monaco winning 3–1 in the league matchup.[45] Dating back to February 21, Balogun achieved scoring 8 consecutive league goals in a row (including 10 goal contributions in his last 10 club games) on April 19, in the 2–2 draw to Auxerre, which was one goal away from the 21st-century Ligue 1 goalscoring streak record.[46]
International career
Balogun in 2026
Born in the United States to Nigerian parents,[47] and raised in the United Kingdom, Balogun was eligible to represent the United States, England, and Nigeria at international level before he committed himself to the United States.[48]
Youth career
After playing for England at the under-17 level, and appearing in the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship,[49] he accepted a call up from the United States under-18 national team in August 2018 for a training camp and a tournament in the Czech Republic.[9][50] He played in all four of the United States' games in the Václav Ježek Youth Tournament and scored twice.[51] He also expressed interest in playing for Nigeria, although he stated that he enjoys England's "style of play" which is "similar to Arsenal's".[52][53]
In October 2022, he said he was open to playing for Nigeria.[58]
Senior career
On May 16, 2023, FIFA approved Balogun's application for a switch to represent the United States national team. He had been recruited by the United States through several meetings, which included watching the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks play in Florida.[59] Balogun received his first call up to the United States senior squad on June 1, featuring in the squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.[60] On June 18, Balogun scored his first goal for the United States in their Nations League final victory over Canada.[6]
Balogun was selected to the USMNT's roster at the 2024 Copa America. In the first match, Balogun scored the United States' second goal in a 2–0 win against Bolivia,[61] and in the second, he scored the opener in the 2–1 defeat at the hands of Panama when the U.S. was down to 10 players after a red card given to Timothy Weah in the 18th minute. Despite the loss, Balogun was awarded the Man of the Match award.[62] Following the game, Balogun, along with teammates Weah, Chris Richards and Weston McKennie, suffered racial abuse from online trolls. Balogun's club Monaco, as well as CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and the U.S. Soccer Federation condemned the actions and fully supported the players.[63][64] The US was eliminated after losing to Uruguay 1–0 in Kansas City.