Folarin Balogun, a 21-year-old loanee from Arsenal, has surpassed Kylian Mbappe and Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain as Ligue 1’s leading goal scorers after scoring a hat-trick for Reims.
Wednesday’s game against Lorient saw Balogun score his hat-trick, giving him 14 goals in just 18 starts.
Just before halftime and midway through the second half, he scored two goals in quick succession. He could be in contention with Mbappe for Ligue 1 Golden Boot this season.
The striker has now scored five goals in his last three games, including a dramatic late equalizer against PSG.
No U-21 player across Europe’s big five leagues has scored as many goals as Balogun this season.
Balogun was loaned to Middlesborough before joining Reims also on loan this season