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 | 27 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2024– | Cameroon | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:42, 19 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 June 2024 |
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.
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]
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]
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 the Albion 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 the Albion in a 2–2 draw against Liverpool. [20]
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. [21]
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 either theirs roles, positions, and skills. [2]
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 |
Career total | 61 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 73 | 1 |