Have you heard the one about the English youngster outscoring Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar in France – and who is set to give Arsenal a “positive headache”?
When Reims signed a player on loan who had scored three times for Middlesbrough last season, it made few headlines – but now many eyes are on Folarin Balogun.
The England Under-21 international is the top scorer in France’s Ligue 1 with 14 goals for a mid-table team managed by fellow Englishman Will Still, who is only 30 and never played professional football.
Balogun’s past 10 days have included an injury-time equaliser against Paris St-Germain and a hat-trick against Lorient.
“The goals are great, but it is everything else,” said French football writer Julien Laurens.
“When you look at a striker you look at the goals – but the movement, the awareness, the intelligence, all of that is as important and he has all of that.”
