Luke Baartman: Rising Star of Kaizer Chiefs

Luke Baartman is suddenly the loudest name in the Kaizer Chiefs choir.

Barely into the 2026/27 Premier Soccer League campaign, the 20-year-old has gone from fringe figure to frontline attraction, his rise under Fernando Da Cruz turning heads at Naturena and beyond.

On Wednesday night at FNB Stadium, the noise grew louder. Baartman struck his first goal of the new season in a sharp, controlled 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United, a finish that felt like confirmation rather than surprise. This is no pre-season mirage. This is a young forward arriving.

From spare part to centrepiece

The contrast with last season is stark. In his debut campaign with the Glamour Boys, Baartman barely featured, restricted to just seven appearances and often reduced to watching from the bench as others carried the load.

He arrived with the tag of a classic number nine, a penalty-box predator in an era that increasingly distrusts specialists. Many players get stuck in that label. Da Cruz chose to tear it up.

“Modern football now requires players who are able to play in many positions,” the Chiefs coach explained, speaking to FARPost. That line was not theory. It was the blueprint for Baartman’s reinvention.

The staff pulled him away from his traditional central role, pushing him into wider and deeper spaces, asking him to think beyond the six-yard box. For a 20-year-old who grew up as a pure finisher, it was a challenge. It has become his edge.

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

The shift didn’t come out of nowhere. Chiefs’ high-profile pre-season tour of Spain gave the technical team a different lens on Baartman.

Against European opposition, they saw more than a poacher waiting for service. They saw a forward comfortable drifting into channels, linking play, pressing with purpose, and exploding past defenders rather than simply wrestling them in the box.

In those games, the idea of Baartman as only a number nine started to feel outdated. The coaches came home convinced they had a more complete attacker on their hands.

“It’s a player with good technical qualities and also a player with good explosiveness when he plays football,” Da Cruz noted. The word “explosiveness” fits. His movement now stretches defences, not just pins centre-backs.

Talent, temperament, and timing

Plenty of youngsters flash ability. Fewer match it with the temperament to survive at a club like Chiefs.

Here, Da Cruz sounds almost as impressed by Baartman’s attitude as by his goals. “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 coach said.

“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 hype can derail promising careers, that humility matters. Chiefs have seen enough prodigies drift. Baartman, for now, is pulling in the opposite direction, leaning into instruction rather than reputation.

Walking the tightrope of a long season

The temptation, when a 20-year-old catches fire, is to ride him until the legs give out. Chiefs are resisting that urge.

The club’s medical and technical teams are already on alert. This is not a gentle calendar. The Premier Soccer League, CAF Confederation Cup, Carling Knockout, and Nedbank Cup form a demanding schedule that can chew up even seasoned professionals.

Da Cruz is clear: this is a long game, not a sprint. “As an experienced coach, I know that I cannot ask Luke to perform at a high level throughout the whole season,” he admitted. “Sometimes he will need to recover, so we need to support him at different times of the season.”

So while the goals and performances draw the headlines, behind the scenes the plan is measured. Rotations, managed minutes, and recovery days are as important to Baartman’s story as his new role on the pitch.

For now, though, the picture is simple: a once-limited prospect has broken out of his box, literally and tactically. Chiefs have found a forward who can play across the line, read the game, and still finish when it matters.

If they get the balance right between freedom and protection, how high can Luke Baartman push the ceiling at Naturena this season?