Folarin Balogun of the United States talks to the media during a World Cup 2026 training session at Great Park Sports Complex on June 22, 2026 in Irvine, California. Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by JAMIE SQUIRE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
United States striker Folarin Balogun has netted twice already this World Cup and has set his sights on rivalling the elite group of “inevitable” goalscorers like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking to reporters at the US training camp Monday, Balogun admitted he covets the Golden Boot — awarded to the tournament’s top scorer — but is finding it hard to even keep track of all the goals being banged in by the world’s best.
As he spoke, Messi broke the all-time World Cup scoring record by scoring his fourth goal of the tournament against Austria and added a fifth shortly after.
“I think it’s annoying!” joked Balogun. “Seeing players like Messi, Mbappe, Haaland — they’re so inevitable. I think they’re scoring a goal a game, sometimes more.”
