James Balagizi
James Balagizi (born 20 September 2003) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Wigan Athletic, on loan from Premier League club Liverpool. Early life
Born in Manchester, Balagizi started his career with Liverpool, before joining Manchester City at the age of six. After Manchester City decided against enrolling him at St Bede's College, Balagizi and his family decided to return to Liverpool, and he rejoined at under-11 level for a compensation fee of £9,000. Club career
Balagizi progressed well through the youth ranks at Liverpool, and is seen as one of their brightest prospects, despite a string of injuries limiting his youth team development. He signed his first professional contract in September 2020. He was named on the bench for the senior squad for the first time in a 3–0 EFL Cup win over Norwich City in September 2021. On 30 June 2022, Balagizi signed for Crawley Town on a season long loan. He would score twice in a 3-2 loss at home to Northampton Town. He would score his third Crawley goal in the Carabao Cup in a 2-0 win over Fulham. He was recalled to Liverpool on 20 January 2023 after sustaining an injury, having made sixteen appearances and scored three goals for Crawley. On 19 July 2023, he joined EFL League One club Wigan Athletic on loan for the 2023–24 season. International career
Balagizi was born in England and is of Zimbabwean and DR Congolese descent. He has represented England at numerous youth levels. On 21 September 2022, Balagizi made his England U20 debut as a substitute during a 3-0 victory over Chile at the Pinatar Arena. Career statistics

References

External links

James Balagizi at the Liverpool F.C. website

2003 births
Living people
Footballers from Manchester
English men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Manchester City F.C. players
Liverpool F.C. players
Crawley Town F.C. players
Wigan Athletic F.C. players
English Football League players
England men's youth international footballers
English sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
English people of Zimbabwean descent