Carlos Baleba's incredible story from South Africa to bossing Erling Haaland for Brighton in Premier League

The 20-year-old had a massive role to play in the Seagulls’ 2-1 win against Manchester City.

Carlos Baleba’s rise in the Brighton camp has been seamless, but the midfielder’s past was filled with ups and downs, as the youngster had many setbacks in his journey to reach the Premier League. 

The pressure was already high given his father, Eugene, was a professional football player who played for South Africa and Cameroon, and Baleba had to follow in the footsteps of his father. 

It all started at school when the midfielder was working hard to secure a football contract when he was at school. He was born in Douala, where one of the best football players, Samuel Eto’o, came from. 

Rise from the bottom to becoming well-known in South Africa

Baleba commenced his football journey with the football school of Brasseries du Cameroun, aged 13. A year later the youngster started playing with older players on the U18 team in the football school.

His father also had a hand in helping his kid become a football player; Eugene worked with his son in the academy, which is a wonderful journey to look back on. When Carlos hit age 14, Eugene developed him via weight training and fitness programs. 

As he continued his football growth, Baleba started attending famous football academies in South Africa. One was established back in 1989 and unearthed many Cameroon internationals. The area where the youngsters train, they are surrounded by huge posters of the stars who had passed out successfully from the school, as per France 24.

It wasn’t always perfect for Carlos Baleba growing up: “I lived in a hut made of planks… in front of my door, there were truck tires.” Sometimes his football boots were old, damaged, or too big. “Everything I was given, I put it on. I didn’t complain, he told Onze Mondial.

🇨🇲 20-year old Carlos Baleba might just be Brighton's new £100m midfielder. 💫 pic.twitter.com/3XoAwglKtm

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 12, 2024

The 20-year-old started as a winger and was nicknamed Diego Maradona because of his technical play and ability to score goals on his own. However, at a certain point, he had to change his position and started playing as a midfielder due to injury. 

However, Baleba remained focused on his football career and continued his growth. He also played in many tournaments, and the people of South Africa started witnessing his talent, and he got well-deserved attention from the people. 

He played in major youth tournaments out in Cameroon with the school, like the Easter Cup, which often has scouts from European clubs. Those dreams of securing professional contracts have been made a reality through these sorts of opportunities.

Joining elite clubs in Europe

His hard work finally paid off when Lille found the talent, and he eventually signed for the French club. He was playing for Lille’s B team which helped him adjust to life in France and their style of play. 

When he appeared in his first team debut against Auxerre, his performance subsequently rewarded back and he never looked back. Baleba began making more appearances for the first squad, and the games highlighted his standards.

Paulo Fonseca, current AC Milan coach, and Baleba’s manager at Lille, said the following: “I think that today Carlos Baleba is a player who can be a starter. He represents the future of Lille.” 

Later, the defensive midfielder’s talent was later discovered by Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, who instantly signed him for a €30m total deal. 

After just a year at Lille, Baleba was playing for one of the top Premier League clubs, and for it to happen so quickly was certainly impressive, as the quality was certainly there. 

Baleba was finally able to show his talent to the English football fans in Brighton’s 2-1 win against Manchester City. He demonstrated his nice passing range, pressed well, read the game well, and was physically capable. 

At just 20, he has adjusted to life in one of the toughest leagues, and as he continues to put in the same performance in every game, he will certainly be seen as one of the best midfielders in Europe. 

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