Featured in the United States' 4-1 victory over Paraguay, striker Foralin Balogun represents the country in this World Cup by a mere stroke of chance. Scorer of two goals in this Friday's match (12), Balogun was born in the USA only because the airline prevented his mother, Florence, who was seven months pregnant, from returning to England, where she lived. Unable to fly, Florence and her husband, Ben, remained in New York, where Folarin was born on July 3, 2001, thus obtaining North American citizenship. A few weeks after his birth, he and his parents, of Nigerian origin, returned to Europe. Related news: USA debuts in the World Cup with a rout over Paraguay: 4-1. On the second day of the World Cup, the USA wins and Canada draws. The unusual situation draws attention as the striker, a World Cup debutant, has never lived in the USA or played for a team in the country. Raised in England, Balogun began his football career in London, where his parents live. He arrived at Arsenal when he was 8 years old. He went through all categories, even playing for England's youth teams, and made his professional debut in 2020. Still on English soil, he also played for Middlesbrough before going to France to play for Reims, where he exploded onto the world in the 2022-23 season, scoring 21 goals in the French Ligue 1. From there he went to Monaco, his current club, where he shines, after a transfer worth around €40 million in 2023. Still in 2023, Balogun chose to exercise his citizenship rights and defend the USA. Enshrined in his debut at the 2026 World Cup, the story of the "American by accident" draws even more attention, due to the restrictive immigration policies adopted by Donald Trump's government. “Anchor Baby” One of them is the strong opposition to the concept of birthright citizenship, pejoratively called "anchor babies" by the current government. In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order to end birth citizenship for children of parents who are not in legal status in the country. The measure was challenged by legal experts who went to court against Trump's order. Two months later, in March, the government asked the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to come into partial effect while legal disputes in court still unfold. If the radical immigration restriction proposals had been in force in 2001, Balogun's fate would have been completely different and the North American team would not have had its main star. Artillery Balogun's debut in the national team under the command of Mauricio Pochettino was a gala, at the stadium located in the Los Angeles region, California (USA). In the 4-1 victory over Paraguay that opened Group D, the number 20 scored two goals in the first half, guaranteeing the tournament's provisional top scorer. In a World Cup with clear traces of prejudice from the US government towards foreigners, with the refusal of visas to athletes, delegation members, fans and even a Somali referee, there is at least room for irony. The great hero of the United States only has a piece of paper proving his place of birth. Nothing connects him to the people Trump celebrates so much. In fact, it intimately links him to the foreigners the president insists on repelling.