Luke Baartman: From Fringe Player to Key Forward for Kaizer Chiefs

Luke Baartman is fast becoming the new soundtrack at Naturena. Not just a name on the team sheet anymore – a name on every Kaizer Chiefs supporter's lips.

On Wednesday night at FNB Stadium, the 20-year-old underlined why. A sharp, composed finish in a 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United gave him his first goal of the 2026/27 Premier Soccer League campaign and another surge of momentum in a season that already feels like a breakthrough.

From fringe player to frontline weapon

This version of Baartman looks a world away from the one that arrived at Chiefs with the tag of a traditional number nine and then barely featured. Last season, the former Urban Warriors forward managed just seven appearances. He was a prospect, not a pillar.

Under Fernando Da Cruz, that has flipped.

The Frenchman has dragged Baartman out of his comfort zone in the middle and pushed him into a more fluid role, asking him to roam, to adapt, to think. Top-flight football, he insists, no longer has room for forwards who only live between the posts.

“Modern football now requires players who are able to play in many positions,” Da Cruz told FARPost, laying bare the logic behind the switch.

“For a young player like Luke Baartman, it’s important to give him different tools to be able to play in different positions.

“The most important thing for him is to read the game, for example, knowing what to do when he receives the ball in different situations of the game.”

Spain tour that changed the picture

The change did not come out of nowhere. During Chiefs’ pre-season tour of Spain, Baartman forced the technical team to look at him differently.

Against European opposition, the staff saw more than a penalty-box poacher. They saw a forward who could stretch defences, link play, and press with intensity – a player who could be part of the build-up, not just the final touch.

That tour helped convince Da Cruz and his staff that Baartman had to be unshackled from the traditional number nine role and given a wider canvas.

The pressure on the youngster has only grown since then, but he has not shrunk from it.

Talent, explosiveness – and a grounded head

Da Cruz is not only banking on Baartman’s feet. He is backing his head.

“It’s a player with good technical qualities and also a player with good explosiveness when he plays football,” the Chiefs boss said, clearly enthused by the raw materials at his disposal.

“He is a young player and, for the moment, he listens to what the coaches ask of him, which is very important to me.

“The most important thing for young players is to listen to what the coach wants, because sometimes young players think that they are experienced.

“But Luke is very focused and knows what the coach expects from him.”

In a landscape where early praise can derail a career before it even starts, that willingness to listen might be Baartman’s most valuable trait. Chiefs have seen enough prodigies drift. They are determined this one stays on track.

Managing a rising star in a brutal schedule

The temptation, of course, is to ride the hot hand. Play him every week. Every competition. Every minute.

Da Cruz is resisting that urge.

With Chiefs fighting on several fronts – the Premier Soccer League, CAF Confederation Cup, Carling Knockout, and Nedbank Cup – the calendar is unforgiving. For a 20-year-old still growing into his body and the demands of elite football, that load can break more than it builds.

“As an experienced coach, I know that I cannot ask Luke to perform at a high level throughout the whole season,” Da Cruz admitted.

“Sometimes he will need to recover, so we need to support him at different times of the season.”

So the plan is clear: stretch him, but don’t snap him. Chiefs will push Baartman to expand his game, to become that modern, multi-functional forward Da Cruz wants – but they will also pull him back when the legs and lungs start to protest.

For now, the kid from the Urban Warriors is thriving under the lights, scoring at FNB and earning the trust of a demanding fanbase. If the balance between ambition and protection holds, the question might not be whether Baartman can carry Chiefs this season – but how far he can drag them.