Folarin Balogun admits he's over the moon following his Arsenal debut.
The forward was handed his maiden Gunners appearance on Thursday night in Arsenal's Europa League clash with Irish champions Dundalk.
Balogun came on as a second-half substitute in the 3-0 victory at the Emirates, replacing Eddie Nketiah with 16 minutes left on the clock.
Setting foot on the hallowed Emirates turf was a dream come true for the 19-year-old, who said: "It feels great.
"It's a moment I have been waiting for a little while so to finally get it feels great.
“I can only thank Mikel [Arteta] and the staff for this opportunity and I look forward to doing it more often.
“It's been tough, I've been at a few other clubs doing trials and stuff like that, but I've been working my way through the academy and I think as time has gone on I've become a better player.
“I think that's shown in my performances and I think it's good now to get the recognition that my performances deserve."
Balogun, understandably, was overcome with emotion when Gunners boss Mikel Arteta told him to get ready to make his bow.
“Loads of emotions really," Balogun said when recalling the moment he was told to warm up.
“I knew that this was the moment I'd been waiting for but at the same time I knew there was a job that needed to be done.
“So I just tried to come on, make runs, be a nuisance and just help the team.”
After finally making his debut for the first team, Balogun has set his sights on becoming a regular fixture and scoring lots of goals.
“They are going to see lots of energy, and I'd like to say lots of goals," he said when asked what Arsenal fans can expect from him. "But yeah, I think I'd like to carry my performances from the youth team into the first team.
"That's what got me here so it's important I carry on playing the way I do.”
Balogun further reflected on his debut on Twitter, tweeting: "A real honour to make my debut tonight. Thank you to everyone for the messages! Journey is just beginning.
Arsenal will be back in action on Sunday evening, travelling to Old Trafford to take on their top-four rivals Manchester United.
