Folarin Balogun announced himself on the World Cup stage with two goals as the United States beat Paraguay in their opening group game.
The 24-year-old striker’s path to representing the co-hosts is rooted in one extraordinary twist of fate that occurred more than two decades ago.
Balogun’s Nigerian parents were living in London when they travelled to New York in the summer of 2001, intending it to be a routine trip.
His mother was prevented from boarding the return flight after airline attendants noticed she was heavily pregnant, and Balogun was subsequently born in Brooklyn, New York on 3 July 2001.
That birth on American soil automatically granted him citizenship under the country’s birthright citizenship laws, derived from the 14th amendment to the US Constitution.
The cruel irony is that President Donald Trump’s executive order seeks to deny citizenship to children born in the US to parents on temporary visas, precisely the circumstances that gave Balogun his American identity.
The US Supreme Court is expected to rule on Trump’s executive order, and the fundamental question of what citizenship means, within weeks.
Ilya Somin, a George Mason University law professor and chair in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute, warned the administration’s legal arguments could create lasting uncertainty for people like Balogun even if no retroactive action is taken.
“Trump’s promises and guarantees often are not worth very much, but even if he were to stick to that resolution, a future administration might not,” Somin said.
Somin nonetheless believes the high court, which holds a 6-3 conservative majority, will not rule in Trump’s favour given the scepticism justices displayed during oral arguments in April.
When the administration argued that modern travel necessitated a reinterpretation of the constitution, Chief Justice John Roberts quipped: “It’s a new world. It’s the same constitution.”
A Reuters poll from April found a majority of Americans believe all babies born in the country should automatically be granted citizenship, though there remains a sharp split along party lines.
Only 9% of Democrats support ending birthright citizenship compared to 62% of Republicans, illustrating the deeply polarising nature of the debate.
On the pitch, the political backdrop has done nothing to dim the excitement surrounding Balogun, who plays his club football for Monaco in France’s Ligue 1.
AC Milan midfielder Christian Pulisic was unstinting in his praise after the Paraguay victory, saying the team were “really lucky” to have him involved.
“The kid’s insane,” Pulisic said. “He’s lethal right now in front of goal. Let’s just hope it keeps going like this.”
Former US men’s national team player Kenny Cooper believes Balogun’s quality as “a proven goalscorer at the highest level” gives the hosts genuine cause for optimism at this tournament.
“He’s obviously a really special talent and he showed that with two exceptional goals,” Cooper told the BBC. “I think there’s just so much confidence that I’m sure the players have in him playing with them, and us, his fans, have in him.”
Tommy Marcos, the New York president of the American Outlaws fan group, echoed that view, saying US supporters had waited years for a striker of Balogun’s calibre.
“We haven’t had that type of player — a top-five league striker that you can just put in there and know he’s going to score,” Marcos said. “That’s pretty hard to do in the current football environment and we’re lucky to have him.”
Balogun’s commitment to the USA was far from inevitable, having featured for England at youth level and scored seven goals in 13 appearances under Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 setup.
His prolific loan spell at Reims during the 2022-23 season, which earned him a £35m move to Monaco, attracted the attention of US Soccer officials who mounted a determined recruitment drive.
Senior US internationals were sent to take him out for dinner, and he was reportedly courted with NBA tickets, trips to Florida, and an invitation to watch New York Yankees training.
“When I committed, and throughout the whole cycle, and the whole journey to me being at this point, I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support,” Balogun said on Friday ahead of the Australia game.
“For me, the most important thing has always been to be able to repay that. I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”
In 10 of the previous 12 World Cup editions, six goals would have been enough to secure the Golden Boot, meaning Balogun is already a third of the way there after just one appearance.
