It ought to come as no surprise that Folarin Balogun was inundated with congratulatory texts and direct messages in the hours and days after the most magical night of his life.
The Brooklyn-born U.S. men’s national team forward scored two spectacular goals last week in his World Cup debut, helping the USA to an emphatic 4-1 win over Paraguay in its first match at the 2026 event, which the country is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico. It was a night that, by Balogun’s own admission, exceeded his wildest dreams.
The response that the 24-year-old striker has gotten from the friends and family who witnessed the feat in person last Friday at Los Angeles Stadium — Balogun told me that he “paid a pretty penny” to bring 15 of his loved ones to the match — has been overwhelming.
But one message in particular stood out, one he didn’t even see until almost 72 hours later.
Folarin Balogun has two goals so far at the tournament. (Photo by Alex Livesey – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
“No message from Thierry yet,” Balogun told me on Monday, referring to French former World Cup winner Thierry Henry, before quickly correcting the record. “Actually, no, I just looked on Instagram, and he did message me. I’ve just seen it now — that shows how many messages I’ve got.”
“So happy for you man!,” Henry wrote to the former Arsenal academy product after the contest. “That’s crazy,” a beaming Balogun said.
Although Henry left the Gunners for Barcelona when the London-raised Balogun was just five years old, the pair go back a long way. Henry returned to his old club to complete his coaching badges after retiring from MLS club New York Red Bulls in 2014 and saw something in the youngster, who was in Arsenal’s academy at the time.
Thierry Henry has stayed in touch with Folarin Balogun throughout his career. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
