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Carlos Baleba declared upon officially completing his move to Manchester United on Tuesday that he has joined "the club of my dreams" and considers it a "real honor" to wear the famous red jersey at Old Trafford.
Yet the 22-year-old midfielder remains firmly grounded, and the biggest milestone of his career so far was accompanied by heartfelt appreciation for everything Brighton & Hove Albion had done for him.
Baleba was still a teenager when the Seagulls spent $31.5 million (£23.2 million) to sign him from Lille in 2023, arriving with the expectation that he would fill the void left by Moisés Caicedo, who had departed for Chelsea in what was a Premier League record transfer at the time.
Three seasons at Brighton left such a lasting impression on Baleba that he felt compelled to acknowledge the club before making any social media announcement about his new journey with United.
In what served as a heartfelt spoken tribute to Brighton supporters, accompanied by visual career highlights, Baleba conveyed what the club means to him and will continue to mean going forward.
"I never said very much while I was here. I am not going to pretend that changes today. So, Brighton took a 19-year-old, who could not speak the language, gave him a shirt and gave him the time to grow up," Baleba reflected. "Nobody had to do that. I will be looking for your result every week for the rest of my life. Thank you, Brighton fans."
Baleba Thrived at Brighton by Working Hard
When Baleba was told he needed to step into Caicedo's shoes, he admitted having no idea where to begin: "Nobody tells you what you are supposed to do with that, so I did the only thing I know how to do. I trained, I went home. I came back the next day and trained again."
This reveals the kind of person Baleba truly is — someone deeply committed to his craft, willing to keep a low profile and put in the hard yards.
The player acknowledged that he spent a lot of time "waiting" during his debut season, coming off the bench more frequently than starting. However, the patience paid dividends when, six matches into 2024–25, Baleba won the ball directly from Caicedo and netted against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
"We lost 4–2, so nobody outside [Brighton] remembers that goal. I remember that was the day I stopped feeling like I was wearing somebody else's shirt," he said.
Everything about this just looks right 🔥
🤳 #ShotOnSnapdragon pic.twitter.com/Csop0HCjN5
Another cherished Brighton memory Baleba recalled was a long-range 92nd-minute winner against West Ham United, which snapped a five-game winless streak in the Premier League. "The whole ground went up at once. I have never heard a noise like that in my life and I do not think I will again."
During a more challenging 2025–26 season, Baleba found himself substituted off just 22 minutes into a match against Aston Villa. It is one of football's most humbling experiences, and while he wanted to disappear into the ground, he found solace in the supporters' response.
"I sat in the dugout and could not lift my head up," the player recalled. "You did not boo me. I have thought about that more than you know. You had every reason to and you did not."
Throughout his time at the club, Baleba holds onto the straightforward advice James Milner repeatedly offered him — simply to "enjoy it." The young midfielder didn't grasp that message when he first heard it, but he certainly does now.