Since the turn of the year, Leon Balogun had only played 210 minutes of competitive football; sidelined with an injury, left on the bench or simply out of Brighton’s PL games by Manager Chris Hughton.

He only minutes in 2019 had come in two FA Cup fixtures, both ending in victories for the Seagulls as they progressed through the competition.

Yet, if the limited game time was supposed to show the 29-year-old had lost pace or color as a defensive stalwart, it did not show as he put in a performance worth a man of the match award in Tuesday’s international friendly against Egypt.

Leon’s invitation by Eagles Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, expectedly drew criticisms given the CB’s lack of game time and the possibility of denying equally better players the chance to compete for places with the aging defender ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.


More: https://www.brila.net/why-leon-is-still-the-balogun-of-super-eagles-defence/