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Carlos Noom Quomah Baleba (born 3 January 2004) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a central or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Cameroon national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Noom Quomah Baleba | ||
| Date of birth | 3 January 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Futur Soccer FC | |||
| 2017–2022 | EF Brasseries du Cameroun | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Lille B | 13 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Lille | 21 | (0) |
| 2023– | Brighton & Hove Albion | 37 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Cameroon | 5 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:29, 9 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 October 2024 | |||
Carlos Noom Quomah Baleba was born on 4 January 2004 in Douala, Cameroon.[1] His father is a former professional footballer who played in South Africa and Cameroon.[2] He grew up in the neighbourhood of Akwa and is of Bassa descent.[2] Baleba started playing football at Futur Soccer FC in Douala and then joined École de Football des Brasseries du Cameroun academy centre at the age of 13.[2]
Lille
Baleba was transferred to French team Lille in January 2022,[3][4] having already attracted the scouts of several other European clubs.[5][6] Having arrived in the Nord along with another youngster Joffrey Bazié; the two Africans first joined Lille's reserve team, that played in National 3 that season.[5][7]
Despite being in the matchday squad multiple times towards the end of the 2021–22 Ligue 1 season, Baleba's professional debut had to wait until the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season where he would break into the first team of newly appointed manager, Paulo Fonseca.[8][9][10]
He made his professional debut for Lille on 7 August 2022, replacing Angel Gomes during a 4–1 Ligue 1 win against Auxerre.[11][12][13]
Brighton & Hove Albion
On 29 August 2023, Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion announced the signing of Baleba on a five-year contract.[14] According to various reports, the financial details of the transfer include an initial and base fee of €27 million, a maximum of €3 million add-ons depending on sporting conditions and a 15% sell-on clause.[15][16][17][18] Baleba made his debut for Brighton in a 3–1 home victory against AFC Bournemouth on 24 September, coming on as a 73rd minute substitute for Mahmoud Dahoud.[19] On 8 October, Baleba made his first start for Brighton in a 2–2 draw against Liverpool.[20]
On 18 September, 2024, Baleba would score his first goal in Brighton colors in a 3-2 win against Wolves to help the Albion move onto the fourth round of the EFL Cup.[21] Just over a week later on 28 September, Baleba scored his first league goal for the Seagulls in a dramatic 4-2 loss against Chelsea.[22]
Baleba made his debut for the Cameroon national team on 8 June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier 4–1 victory against Cape Verde at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium. He started the game and played 80 minutes.[23]
Known for his stamina, dribbling and passing range, Baleba is a complete and powerful central midfielder who can play in a box-to-box role or as a holding midfielder. He grew up idolising Paul Pogba, Kevin De Bruyne, Thiago Alcântara as well as former Lille players Nicolas Pépé and Idrissa Gueye, a collection of unrelated players in either their roles, positions, and skills.[2]
Club
- As of match played 9 November 2024[24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lille B | 2021–22 | Championnat National 3 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | Championnat National 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 13 | 1 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||||
| Lille | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2023–24 | Premier League | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 11 | 2 | ||
| Total | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 70 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 84 | 3 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 11 October 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 2024 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | |
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