Reims striker Balogun backs himself for Olympic appearance

Reims striker Folarin Balogun may have been overlooked by England boss Gareth Southgate, but he believes he could have an international career outside of football.

The Arsenal loanee has been in blistering form this season, scoring 17 goals in 27 Ligue 1 appearances, and has been a regular for the Three Lions’ under-21 side.

Such form has led to calls he should be promoted to the senior squad, particularly given the fight for his international allegiance is fierce as Balogun is also eligible for the United States and Nigeria.

Southgate did not heed those calls, however, instead opting to select Brentford’s Ivan Toney as understudy to captain Harry Kane.

Whether Balogun will get his chance in the near future remains to be seen but he has revealed he fancies his chances of featuring at the Olympics in table tennis.

“I’m very, very good at ping pong. We have one [a table] here and honestly, I think I could play it at Olympic level,” he told Sky Sports.

“I’m honestly that good, I’ve made a lot of money with a few bets, but yeah, I’m really, really good.”

Balogun could find inspiration from others who have competed in other sports outside of football, including former Arsenal and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, who plays semi-professional ice hockey in England.

21 – Aged 21 years and 252 days, Folarin Balogun became the youngest player to score at least 16 goals in his first season in Ligue 1 since Mohammed Salem with Sedan-Torcy in 1960/61. Decomplexed. #ASMSDR pic.twitter.com/dvfnYZHdyK

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 12, 2023