THREE-YEARS-AGO Carlos Baleba was grinding for a professional contract at a football school in Cameroon – now he’s looking like Brighton’s new £150million man.
The Cameroonian 20-year-old is the next hidden gem to be unearthed at the Amex as he follows in the footsteps of Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Alexis Mac Allister.
GettyBaleba has started eight of Brighton’s first 11 Premier League matches[/caption]
INSTAGRAM @carlos_balebaCarlos Baleba joined Brighton for £26min the summer at age 19 from Lille[/caption]
INSTAGRAM @carlos_balebaBaleba often wore football boots that were old, broken or too big when he was growing up[/caption]
Baleba announced himself to the world when he came on at half-time in the 2-1 win over Manchester City last time out.
He flipped the game on its head, adding oomph and creativity at the base of Brighton’s midfield to stun the likes of Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.
Baleba conjured up the winning goal with an exceptional move to Joao Pedro before Matt O’Riley fired home.
His 45-minutes overall against Man City was a perfect summary of the all-round great midfielder Baleba is to have in a team.
He has shown he is a player full of drive and dynamism, physical prowess and technical skill.
Why he could be worth £150m
Baleba has established himself as a key cog in Fabian Hurzeler’s team, starting eight of the first 11 Premier League games under the German boss this season.
It would have been nine starts, but a knee injury kept him on the bench during the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.
Baleba joined Brighton for £26m in the summer of 2023 at age 19, a fortnight after Caicedo’s British record £115m Chelsea transfer, having played just 21 times in Ligue 1 for Lille.
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Caicedo was also 19 when Brighton signed him for £4m from Independiente del Valle in his homeland.
Baleba made 13 appearances for Lille’s B team, before making his first-team debut last September as a substitute in a 1-0 win against Lens.
His first Ligue 1 start came in January in a goalless draw with Stade Brestois.
Paulo Fonseca, current AC Milan coach, and Baleba’s manager at Lille, said at the time: “I think that today Baleba is a player who can be a starter. He represents the future of Lille.”
It has taken less time for Baleba to make his mark at the Amex, with him now boasting the third-most combined tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes in the top-flight this season.
His per-90 figure for tackles plus interceptions of 5.36 is bettered by only two players with over 400 minutes, Mario Lemina of Wolves and Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United.
Another high figure which also stands out is his carrying into the final third.
This season, he’s doing that 1.88 times per 90 minutes, the same as Declan Rice and slightly more than Dominik Szoboszlai.
Baleba made 19 passes when he came on against Pep Guardiola‘s side, failing to complete only one.
One of his 18 completions, a pass to Pedro, led to O’Riley’s winner.
Of the 98 midfielders to make five or more Prem starts this season, only Rodrigo Bentancur is averaging more interceptions per 90 than Baleba.
He also ranks fifth in the league for times winning back possession per 90 minutes.
Humble beginnings
Baleba was born in Douala, the largest city in Cameroon and where the legendary Samuel Eto’o was born.
Growing up wasn’t easy for the Brighton midfielder who often wore football boots that were old, broken or too big.
He said: “I lived in a hut made of planks. In front of my door, there were truck tires.”
He added: “Everything I was given, I put it on. I didn’t complain.”
It’s no surprise that Baleba was nicknamed Diego Maradona during his youth days, due to his technical level and ability to score goals on his own.
He said: “They used to call me Maradona when I was a winger. I used to score a lot of goals from there.
“My speciality, my best move was the ‘virgule’ [rolling ball round in a semi-circle].
“I copied it off Ronaldinho. I mastered the technique when I was facing the goal, or by the corner flag.
“I did some damage with it. I don’t really do it any more, but I have not forgotten how. And I could still do one, so watch out.
“One match as a kid I was running towards goal and the goalkeeper rushed out and crashed into me.
“I was hurt and fell, my thigh hurt really bad. I couldn’t run or even walk that well – so they moved me into midfield from the wing.
“I felt comfortable there, and had freedom. I could overcome opponents with my technical ability. And once there, I stayed there and never moved away.”
Brighton have seen many talented midfielders come through in the last few years – Caicedo, Mac Allister and Yves Bissouma to name a few.
Baleba could become the best of the lot and that may mean that he is next in line in the Brighton departure lounge queue.