After equaling Nigerian record, Balogun eyes Ligue 1 scoring record held by Tottenham icon

Folarin Balogun is close to matching a Ligue 1 scoring record held by Tottenham Hotspur icon Glenn Hoddle.

After a three-game scoring drought, the England U21 international was back on the scoresheet on Sunday as Stade de Reims registered a 1-0 win at Hoddle's former club, Monaco.

The Arsenal loanee - the third highest scorer in the Ligue 1 - has now mustered 16 goals in 26 appearances.

Balogun, also eligible for Nigeria and the United States, needs to score just two goals to match the highest number of goals scored by an Englishman in a single season in the French Ligue 1.

Hoddle set the record during the 1988-1989 season when he notched 18 goals in 32 appearances for Monaco in the French top-flight with the legendary Arsene Wenger in the Monaco dugout.

The retired England international was voted the best foreign player in the French top-flight in 1988.

With his strike against Monaco, Balogun equaled the Nigerian record for most goals in a single Ligue 1 season, which was set by Victor Ikpeba in the 1997-1998 campaign.

Balogun notched his 16th goal in the Ligue 1 faster than Ikpeba.  While the Arsenal loanee played in 26 games, the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner made 30 appearances before reaching the figure.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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