At Arsenal since 2008, Folarin Balogun has climbed through the ranks at the London club over the years, playing for their youth teams, then U18s and U23s.
He’s also made 10 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners first-team, but he could also have done all this for north London rivals Tottenham.
The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Stade de Reims in France, where he has eight goals in 14 games, as well as two assists, which is why he gave a long interview to the Ligue 1 website about his start to the campaign.
That’s when he reveals he came close to signing for Tottenham when he was very young, who ask him how he found himself ending up at Arsenal.
It all came because of a tournament he played in with his team at the time, Aldersbrook, when he was around 11 years of age.
They reached the final, at which point the player explains he saw someone who was speaking with his dad while he was warming up before that game.
He said: “On the way back, in the car, I was trying to take out dirt from between my studs when my dad gave me a business card, the one from the man that was speaking to him earlier, a scout from Arsenal who had offered us to come to a trial the following week. Between that news and winning the tournament, I was delighted. What a feeling! I couldn’t believe it.”
This is when Tottenham come in, as the Ligue 1 website ask him what went on during said trial with Arsenal.
He said: “It lasted five to six weeks, but after four weeks, my dad got a phone call from Tottenham. They were also offering me one. We hesitated because Arsenal were meant to give us a decision soon. It was a bit delicate… In the end, my dad was taking me to Arsenal training on Monday, Thursday and Friday.
“And the others days of the week, I was training with Tottenham. It was intense because as well as playing for the two teams, I was going to school, of course. Everything ended well since Arsenal eventually offered me to sign, and we accepted.”
