Carlos Baleba
Central Midfielder · Manchester United · Cameroon
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About Carlos Baleba
Carlos Baleba is a powerful, ground-covering Cameroon international midfielder who broke through at Lille and established himself at Brighton before a reported £70m move to Manchester United in August 2026 — one of the transfer window's marquee deals.
Carlos Baleba's story
From Douala's Neighbourhood Pitches to a Family Coaching Job
Born in Douala on 3 January 2004, Baleba started out as a winger at local clubs before joining the École de Football des Brasseries du Cameroun academy at 13, where his father — a former professional footballer — helped reshape him into a box-to-box midfielder around age 14.
Lille to Brighton
Baleba joined Lille in January 2022, making his Ligue 1 debut that August, before Brighton signed him in August 2023 for a reported £23-25m. “The future of the club,” manager Roberto De Zerbi called him at the time (Sky Sports, 29 August 2023).
A £70m Move to Manchester United
He established himself as a Brighton regular, winning the club's Young Player of the Season for 2024-25 and the Premier League's Goal of the Month for a stoppage-time winner against West Ham in April 2025, while also becoming a fixture in Cameroon's midfield through their run to the AFCON 2025 quarter-finals. Manchester United completed his signing on 25 August 2026 for a reported £70m. “It is an incredible feeling to join the club of my dreams,” he said on signing.
Cameroon's Rising Midfield Fixture
Baleba made his senior Cameroon debut in June 2024 and became a first-choice midfielder through their run to the AFCON 2025 quarter-finals in Morocco, drawing comparisons in Cameroonian media to past national-team midfield greats such as Marc-Vivien Foé and Jean II Makoun.
Did you know?
- 🏅 New shirt, new role: he swapped Brighton's No.17 for Manchester United's No.20, and arrived carrying a pre-season ankle injury — manager Michael Carrick said in August 2026 a debut would take “a couple of weeks or so, maybe three.”
- 🦠 He was called up to Cameroon's U17 squad but missed a scheduled Africa Cup of Nations after the tournament was cancelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 👨👩👦 His father, Eugene Balepa, played professionally in South Africa after an earlier trial at Saint-Étienne in France — the background that led him to personally guide Carlos's switch from winger to central midfield.
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