Brighton‘s sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea left a significant gap in their midfield, one that demanded both defensive strength and creativity within a double-pivot setup.
Though the Seagulls might just have found the man to fill that gap thanks to 20 year old Cameroonian Carlos Baleba.
The young defensive midfielder quickly captured attention with his assured performance in Brighton’s surprising 1-0 win over Manchester City.
As he continues to be in the limelight, fans can’t help but notice his tall stature on their TV screens.
Baleba’s playing style consists of lots of midfield runs and also recovery, normally a skill resorted to players on the shorter side when it comes to height.
But the Cameroonian has often surprised people with the role he plays in Brighton and also the tallness he displays while he is at it.
According to prominent football websites like Transfermarkt, FotMob, and other information outlets like Wikipedia, Baleba stands at 1.79 meters (179 cm), or approximately 5 feet 10 inches.
However fans online speculate that the Cameroonian defensive midfielder actually stands closer to 1.89m (189cm) – approximately 6’2″.
After some digging, we’ve found certain snapshots that can support the claims of Baleba being taller than he actually is.
A photo of Baleba alongside Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who is listed at 1.9 meters (6 feet 2 inches) reveals that the pair are close to each other when it comes to their heights.
In this image, despite both players being mid-motion, their heights appear similar. Both are pushing off the ground at nearly the same angle, which helps provide a fair comparison.
Given Gravenberch’s listed height, Baleba seems to match him closely, suggesting that his actual height may be closer to 1.89 or even 1.9 meters, rather than the 1.79 meters recorded on official sites.
Another image that adds weight to the debate is a photo of Baleba and Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic.
Kovacic is listed at around 1.77 meters (5 feet 10 inches), which aligns closely with the official reports of Baleba’s height.
However, in the image, even though Kovacic stands closer to the camera, Baleba clearly appears taller, by at least a few inches, making it highly unlikely that both players share the same height.
In still shots that one can take from Brighton’s recent game against Manchester City, Baleba seems to tower over a smaller Kovacic on multiple occasions, further casting doubts on the listed measurements.
Adding another layer to the speculations are Baleba’s aerial statistics.
While height need not necessarily correlate directly with headers won, and aerial stats, it often plays a part in a player’s aerial presence.
Baleba is currently in the top 3% of players for aerial duels (via @EverydayMUFC22) won across the Premier League amongst midfielders.
Fabian Hurzeler also entrusted the young midfielder with an important role that could have been one of the reasons why Brighton picked up points away from home against Arsenal. Baleba had the role of man marking Kai Havertz, who plays as a #9 for Arsenal and is good in the air.
Havertz stands at 193cm, and if we’re to go off Baleba’s listed height, it seems unlikely he’d come out on top in any of those aerial duels. He won 4/5 duels and many first contacts as well which may not be considered duels by the stats.
These stats potentially imply that apart from being strong and powerful, Baleba also possesses a height advantage, making it probable that he is closer to the 190cm mark.
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