Score one, no, two, for birthright citizenship, after Folarin Balogun scored not one, but two, goals for the U.S. Men’s National Team in its 4-1 win over Paraguay in the teams’ World Cup opener on Friday.
Balogun was born in Brooklyn by an accident of fate. His parents, Florence and Ben, native Nigerians, living, as his mother was pregnant with him, in London.
Florence was on a visit to New York late in her pregnancy to visit a sister-in-law, and due to return back to the UK, when the airline crew refused her permission to fly due to safety concerns over her health.
That’s the extent of Folarin’s ties to the U.S.
USNMT at the World Cup
- Next game: U.S. vs. Australia, Friday, June 19, 3 p.m. ET
He grew up in London, starred as a youth player in the UK, had a breakthrough season in the French Ligue 1 in 2022, at the age of 20, and signed an eight-figure deal in 2023 with AS Monaco, where he scored 19 goals in 43 games in the 2025-2026 campaign.
Literally the only thing that has Balogun even eligible to play for the USMNT is that an airline crew wouldn’t let his mom get on a plane, he was born here, and thus, is a U.S. citizen.
Per our current president, he’s an anchor baby, his parents are from a shithole country – and, come on, he’s Black.
It’s notable that Balogun made the call to suit up for the USMNT in 2023; wonder if he does it if the guy who wants to take citizenship from people like him away was in the White House.
Share
Chris Graham
