Brighton and Hove Albion

Carlos Baleba

Baleba is a powerful ball winner who does not just stop attacks, he turns them straight into Brighton attacks by driving forward the moment possession changes. He covers ground quickly enough to close down passing lanes that most midfielders would simply have to concede.
Cameroon Brighton and Hove Albion MID
Appearances
0
Goals
0

Season Snapshot

Minutes played
0
0.00 per match
Assists
0
Key passes
0
Pass accuracy
0%

Season Stats

Appearances
0
Minutes played
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Key passes
0
Accuracy
0%

League Rankings

Among Premier League 2026/27 midfielders

Upcoming Brighton Fixtures

Play along with Baleba on the Match Bingo app
img Premier League
SUN
SUN
15:00
Sat 10 Oct
BHA
BHA
img Premier League
BHA
BHA
14:00
Sun 18 Oct
CRY
CRY
img Premier League
LIV
LIV
14:00
Sun 25 Oct
BHA
BHA
img Premier League
MCI
MCI
15:00
Sat 31 Oct
BHA
BHA
img Premier League
BHA
BHA
14:00
Sun 8 Nov
BRE
BRE

Carlos Baleba, The Midfielder Who Turns Defence

Brighton's midfielder wins the ball back and drives forward with it rather than simply recycling possession sideways.

Baleba closes down space with real physical intent, arriving into challenges with enough strength that opponents often lose the ball before they have properly controlled it. What separates him from a purely defensive midfielder is what happens next, because he rarely just lays the ball off sideways once he has won it. He drives forward himself, covering ground at a pace that drags the whole team ten yards further up the pitch in a single move.

The tension is whether that appetite for carrying the ball forward ever leaves Brighton exposed behind him, particularly against teams built to break quickly on the counter. A midfielder this aggressive going forward has to trust the players covering his space, and that trust does not always hold up under real pressure. How his manager balances that attacking instinct against defensive discipline shapes how the whole midfield functions.

The Rest Of The Squad

33 players

Goalkeepers

1
Bart Verbruggen
Netherlands · Age 24
5 apps
23
Jason Steele
Age 36
0 apps
38
Tom McGill
Age 26
0 apps

Defenders

20
Costinha
Age 26
5 apps
44
Luka Vuskovic
Croatia · Age 19
5 apps 1g
29
Maxim De Cuyper
Belgium · Age 25
5 apps 1g 2a
21
Olivier Boscagli
Age 28
5 apps
24
Ferdi Kadioglu
Türkiye · Age 26
4 apps
5
Lewis Dunk
Age 34
4 apps 1g
4
Pascal Struijk
Leeds United · Age 27
3 apps
30
Michael Svoboda
Austria · Age 27
1 app
3
Jaouen Hadjam
Algeria · Age 23
0 apps

Midfielders

25
Diego Gómez
Paraguay · Age 23
5 apps 2a
35
Malick Yalcouyé
Swansea City · Age 20
5 apps 2g
13
Pascal Groß
Germany · Age 35
5 apps 3g 3a
26
Yasin Ayari
Sweden · Age 22
4 apps 1g
14
Chema Andrés
Age 21
2 apps 1g 1a
27
Mats Wieffer
Netherlands · Age 26
2 apps
33
Matt O'Riley
Age 25
2 apps
8
Jack Hinshelwood
Age 21
1 app 2g
7
Kaoru Mitoma
Age 29
0 apps
49
Nehemiah Oriola
Age 19
0 apps
51
Shane Nti
Age 19
0 apps
59
Younes Ibrahim
Age 18
0 apps

Forwards

19
Charalampos Kostoulas
Age 19
5 apps 2g 1a
15
Ibrahim Osman
Birmingham City · Age 21
3 apps
10
Georginio Rutter
Age 24
2 apps 1a
12
Promise David
Canada · Age 25
2 apps
36
Zadok Yohanna
Age 19
1 app
28
Evan Ferguson
Age 21
0 apps
39
Femi Azeez
Millwall · Age 25
0 apps
9
Stefanos Tzimas
Age 20
0 apps
11
Yankuba Minteh
Age 22
0 apps
View all posts
Tom Davis • October 1st, 2026

Clean sheets in the Premier League and Championship

Five Premier League keepers have three clean sheets from five games, but Konstantinos Tzolakis has made the most saves of the group. In the Championship, George Wickens has matched Lawrence Vigouroux's four clean sheets while facing far more shots.
Tom Davis • September 30th, 2026

Eight Championship players are one yellow card from a ban

Eight Championship players are one yellow card away from a one-match ban. Card rates show who might be missing, and QPR should line up cover for Jake Clarke-Salter now.
Tom Davis • September 29th, 2026

Five Premier League games in and some players are already halfway to a ban

Matt Crooks has three yellows from three games for Hull. Our Most Cards and Bad Boys boards show who is closest to a Premier League ban after five matches.
Bingo • Tom Davis • September 4th, 2026

Match Bingo Game Modes Explained

There are three game types on Match Bingo and they behave less alike than they sound. Live Games follow a real fixture as it's played. Bingoals swaps the fifteen events for fifteen teams and needs every one of them to score. Quick Games run every few minutes on football from last season, so there's nothing to wait for.
Football News • Tom Davis • September 1st, 2026

Does a New Signing Change Anything on Your Match Bingo Card?

Deadline day comes and goes and your card stays exactly as it was. Match Bingo cards are built from things that happen in a match, goals and corners and fouls, rather than from the players who make them happen. No name on a teamsheet reaches a single square. Here's what a signing does change, and what it doesn't.
Bingo • Tom Davis • August 31st, 2026

Is Match Bingo Safe? Licensing, Fair Play and Player Protection

Two things usually sit behind that question: whether the company is real and regulated, and whether the game itself can be got at by somebody sharper than you. Match Bingo is operated by RTSB Limited under Gambling Commission account 51467, which takes about a minute to check. The second answer is duller: there's nothing to press.
Bingo • Tom Davis • August 28th, 2026

What Is Football Bingo?

A card holds fifteen things that can happen in a football match, and each square marks itself the moment its event happens in the fixture you've chosen. You buy before kick-off, then you go and watch the game. Complete a horizontal row of five before anybody else and you take the fixed prize for that tier.
Weekly Round Up • Tom Davis • August 27th, 2026

This Week on Match Bingo: Premier League and Championship, 28 to 31 August

A Friday night opener, a full Saturday, and Villa against Arsenal alone on the Monday.
View all posts

Carlos Baleba: The Midfield Enforcer

Brighton’s high-energy ball winner, built to press, tackle and carry into space.

Baleba plays like a midfielder who wants to dominate the physical rhythm of a match. He presses aggressively, competes for every second ball and isn’t afraid to step into duels that others avoid. When Brighton need intensity, he supplies it, and that intensity helps the team keep opponents pinned rather than allowing them to settle into possession.

But he isn’t just a destroyer. He can carry too, driving forward with long strides to turn regains into attacking moments. That mix of power and progression makes him valuable in a system that wants midfielders to win the ball and then do something with it. Baleba makes Brighton feel sharper, louder, more difficult to play through.

All things Brighton

See more stats for Brighton players

Brighton

Yasin Ayari

Yankuba Minteh

100% Deposit Match Bonus For New Players

Eligible new players get a 100% matched deposit bonus when they deposit £20 or more.

18+. New GB customers only. One per customer/household/payment method. Min deposit £20. Bonus credit can't be withdrawn, winnings can, no wagering requirement. Making a withdrawal or claiming another deposit bonus will cancel any unused bonus credit. Bonus expires 14 days from claiming. Please gamble responsibly. GamCare.org.uk. Full T&Cs apply.

Updated after the match on . Next update after the fixture on .

18+

You must be over 18 years old to gamble. Please gamble responsibly and in moderation — see our Responsible Gaming page. RTSB Limited is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 51467.