Baleba: I want to show I can be the world's best midfielder at AFCON

Carlos Baleba: Brighton and Cameroon midfielder hoping to light up the Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon get their AFCON campaign under way in Morocco up against Gabon in Group F on Christmas Eve; Baleba, at 21, has ambitions of showing he can still be the best midfielder in the world after a difficult start to the season Image:Carlos Baleba will be hoping to steer Cameroon to the AFCON title Wednesday 24 December 2025 07:07, UK Paul Pogba, Thiago Alcantara, Sergio Busquets and Kevin De Bruyne. The names that spring to Carlos Baleba's mind as he lists off players he grew up hoping to mould his own game on. Among them are multiple World Cups, Champions Leagues, top-flight titles and era-defining moments. It would take one with lofty ambitions to match not only their accolades, but their performances on the biggest stage. Baleba goes a step further, though. The goal for him is not to match, but to synthesise. "I watch a lot of highlights from them. I watch their positioning and their scanning. But I try to be like Carlos Baleba," he tells Sky Sports . "It's an ambition [of mine] to be the best midfielder in the world. I just want to work hard, to take some advice, to take something from the midfielders. Not just in the Premier League, because I learned a lot from here. "Rodri and others, but I try to take [lessons from] outside of the Premier League. Like Ligue 1, Vitinha or Joao Neves. "In LaLiga, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets. I try to learn every day I'm learning. I'm watching them on YouTube." 'Baleba' is a name that's been thrust into the limelight. The 21-year-old's performances at Brighton last season, marshalling the midfield, placed him firmly on the radar of Europe's elite. A move didn't transpire. Which UK-based players have been selected for AFCON 2025? | AFCON 2025: All you need to know Download the Sky Sports app 🔔 Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone 📱 No Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺 But before it was viral social media hashtags and nine-figure fees, for Baleba, it all began with a ball at his feet in Douala, Cameroon - the country Baleba will represent at the Africa Cup of Nations. "The first thing I had at my feet was a ball when I was young. My dad wanted me to play football and he wanted me to be a big player." Back then, it wasn't about scanning and positioning for Baleba, who didn't even have becoming a central midfielder in mind; it was enjoyment. He and his father used to watch TV and it was wingers like Neymar that first captured his imagination. Baleba's father, Eugene, was a professional in Cameroon. He coached Baleba in Cameroon and had dreams of his son emulating the likes of Maradona and Ronaldinho. While on the surface, Baleba's physical profile on...

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