Why Middlesbrough won’t believe what’s happening at the World Cup right now | OneFootball

Folarin Balogun endured a tough loan spell at Middlesbrough, but he has now emerged as a key player for USA at the World Cup.

The January window is always vital in the Championship promotion race, as clubs look to make tweaks to their squad for the run-in.

There are numerous examples over the years of players joining mid-season and making a decisive impact, whilst there are also many deals that didn’t have the desired impact.

Unfortunately for Middlesbrough, their move to sign Folarin Balogun in January 2022 falls into the latter.

Folarin Balogun endured a tough spell at Middlesbrough after Arsenal loan

The striker was very highly-rated at Arsenal coming through the ranks, and he had scored goals for fun in the youth team, so the natural next step was to send Balogun out on loan.

In theory, a move to Middlesbrough made a lot of sense, even though they had been inconsistent under Chris Wilder at the time.

Nevertheless, there were some talented players in the squad, but Boro were lacking a clinical striker that could make the difference in helping them finish in the play-off places.

So, Balogun arrived with a lot of expectation, but, sadly, he failed to deliver in a red shirt, as he managed just three goals in 18 appearances.

Whilst there were some flashes of his talent, things just didn’t work out, and Balogun ended the campaign in-and-out of the XI.

Ultimately, Boro missed out on the play-offs by five points, and the lack of goals was the primary factor, as Matt Crooks was the only player in the squad to hit double figures, and he ended as top scorer on ten.

Folarin Balogun has flourished since leaving Middlesbrough as he stars for USA at the World Cup

That’s not to pin the blame on Boro’s failure on Balogun. There are obvious difficulties that come with joining a club halfway through the season, and he was only 20 at the time of the deal.

Yet, Boro fans won’t look back at Balogun with any particular fondness, but, to his credit, he didn’t let that poor spell define his career.

Instead, he took a risk by moving abroad to Reims, and his time in France, where he worked under Will Still, was the making of Balogun, as he scored 21 goals in 37 games in Ligue 1.

That form prompted Monaco to buy the striker, and whilst he had a mixed first two years with the club, with injuries not helping, he had a positive 2025/26 campaign, finding the net 13 times.

Those displays, and that clinical edge, convinced Mauricio Pochettino to make Balogun the main man for USA at their home World Cup - and it’s a decision that has paid off in style.

Now 25, Balogun has embraced the responsibility of having a key role for the national team, and he has been crucial to their impressive tournament so far.

Balogun scored twice in the 4-1 rout of Paraguay, and he scored the opener as USA booked their place in the last 16 with a win over Bosnia. With Pochettino resting his number nine for the final group game, it means he has three goals in three games.

It’s not just the goals that have caught the eye with Balogun, though. He leads the intense pressing that Pochettino demands with his energy from the front, and his willingness to run in behind, and intelligent movement, has made him hard to defend.

Unfortunately for Balogun, he was given a debatable red card against Bosnia, although that suspension has been lifted, which means he is likely to start against Belgium as they seek a place in the last eight.

From Balogun’s perspective, it also keeps alive any outside chance he has of finishing as top scorer, or even just getting close to the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, which would be a remarkable achievement.

Balogun deserves enormous credit for battling back from setbacks earlier in his career to put himself in this position, and it will be interesting to see what the summer holds for the striker in terms of a transfer.

There will be no ill-will from anyone at Middlesbrough towards Balogun, but many fans will be surprised that he is now making a mark on the world stage after his underwhelming loan spell on Teesside.