Charles De Ketelaere’s Resurgence at Atalanta
22 May, 2024. Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Neutral fan favorite Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio have just defeated Xabi Alonso’s seemingly unbeatable Bayer Leverkusen thanks to a hat-trick from Ademola Lookman. Not since their 1962 Coppa Italia triump did the Lombardy-based outfit lift a piece of credible silverware, adding just their second major honor in the club’s almost 117-year history.
Beloved manager Gian Piero Gasperini cemented himself in club lore on the back of a sublime eight seasons at Gwiss Stadium that saw the Grugliasco-born headmaster mold La Dea into a domestic powerhouse. Among those who earned the right to celebrate long into the night, and indeed the summer, was Belgian international midfielder Charles De Ketelaere, who contributed massively to Atalanta’s season to remember in 2023-24.
Born and bred in Bruges, De Ketelaere was long viewed as one of the “next in line” to pick up the footballing mantel for Belgium after coming through the youth ranks at hometown side Club Brugge KV before making his full debut during the 2019-20 Jupiler Pro League campaign. Though his potential and performance ceiling were evident during his first two seasons in the first-team setup at Jan Breydel Stadium, it was his scintillating form in 2021-22 that firmly placed himself on the continental landscape.
Alongside Dutch international winger Noa Lang and fellow Belgian midfielder Hans Vanaken, De Ketelaere starred for the club both on the domestic front and in Europe while helping Brugge to three consecutive Jupiler Pro League titles since his introduction into the first team, as well as a Pro League Super Cup win that same season.
Seemingly, the sky was the limit for a player who was showed with praise at every turn, with CDK featuring in Marca as one of the best U21 players in Europe. But perhaps it was his profiling Opta on the back of his club-leading performance in front of goal that helped pad his budding reputation among football fans, as many clamored for their respective clubs to push for the mercurial talent.
“Scoring in both group league games against Zenit St. Petersburg in October and December 2020, ‘King Charles’ ended up in a very exclusive list, one that also contains the likes of Raúl, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden: the Belgian international (four caps as of the summer of 2022) is one of only ten players to have scored in both UEFA Champions League group stages games against a specific opponent in a single season before turning 20.
In his three Pro League seasons so far, Charles De Ketelaere has been directly involved in 35 goals (19 goals, 16 assists), with 23 of those coming in the 2021-22 campaign (14 goals, nine assists) – only six players had a hand in more goals in the past Pro League campaign. In fact, among all players with at least 10 goal contributions in the Belgian top-flight last season, only Verschaeren (born in July 2001) and Joshua Zirkzee (born in May 2001) were younger than de Ketelaere (born in March 2001).
But aside from his direct offensive output, the light-footed de Ketelaere has another weapon in his arsenal: his dribbling skills. In the Pro League 2021-22, just four players completed more take-ons than CDK. His dribble success rate of 49.6% (55 of 111 completed) is also the highest in the competition among players with 90+ attempted dribbles. The fact that Italian giants AC Milan have already come knocking isn’t that surprising for an attack-minded player that is comfortable as both a false nine and as an attacking midfielder.”
At the time of a seemingly deserved ~€22m move to the San Siro, De Ketelaere was poised to have the continent at his fingertips, but fast forward 12 months on, and the Belgian was unable to boast a single goal on his CV before collecting his personal belongings to move on loan to the foot of the Italian Alps in Bergamo.
There was much criticism for CDK’s stint with the Rossoneri, but for base value, the leap from Bruges to Milan is a massive one. A combination of little time to adapt after a protracted transfer saga, tactical uncertainties under Stefano Pioli, and, of course, the heavy expectations and pressures that come with featuring for a club as storied as Milan, all played a part in his failure to make the mark in Europe’s fashion capital.
This, however, did not deter Atalanta from jumping at the chance to bring the player in on a season-long loan. Under Gasperini, a man-manager extraordinaire, there likely was no better soft landing spot for the youngster, who would go on to hit the ground running for his temporary employers when he bagged a goal on his debut last season in a 2-0 win against Sassuolo.
Gasperini, who has long championed finding the right players with whom he can trust, was opimtimistic in the opening months of the 2023-23 season when it came to CDK, stating “Last year De Ketelaere was sought after by half of Europe, it’s not that Milan made a mistake in buying players. He’s had a difficult season but he’s coming off a year with a very strong coach and a great club. Here he will find maximum trust, because we believe in him so much.”
That trust was repaid in full and then some, with De Ketelaere showcasing that well-spoken-of tactical flexibiltiy and keen eye for goal in the final third when he went on to bag fourteen goals and a further eleven assists across all competitions, not only helping the club to Europa League glory, but a top four finish.
De Ketelaere’s ability to combine with midfielder Teun Koopmeiners behind him, fellow stray brought in from the cold Gianluca Scamacca ahead of him, and the aforementioned Ademola Lookman alongside him, saw shades of his Club Brugge days regularly bubble to the surface as the four players combined for a total of forty-five league goal between them, while CDK was level with Scamacca and Lookman for total goal contributions (18) as well as leading the club in big chances created (11) in Serie A play.
Unfortunately for De Ketelaere, his club form was not enough to see him earn credible minutes under De Rode Duivel’s head coach Domenico Tedesco this summer at Euro2024, regardless of the former Schalke manager “knowing well what Charles is capable of.”
De Ketelaere ultimately would only see two minutes of pitch time in Belgium’s 1-0 round of 16 defeat against rivals France, but this has not ruled him out of greater involvement moving forward as the nation’s key contributors continue to age while also failing to deliver at international level.
What’s more, the fact that De Ketelaere’s time with Atalanta was made permanent this summer in a move worth a reported €24m will only increase his chances of further accreditation with the national team while also guaranteeing he continues to develop at the highest level in both Italy and via the club’s Champions League birth.
Having thrived under the tactical changes championed by Gasperini last season, many expect CDK to remain a vital cog in the wheel in Bergamo given his continued partnerships on the pitch with Scamacca, Lookman, and Koopmeiners. There is no doubt that Atalanta, and Gasperini, deserve a huge amount of credit for rehabilitating a young player who, without a timely loan move, could well have been yet another young player who took a bite of an apple they very well could have, if not should have, avoided.
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But the reality remains that football, like all walks of life, are massively dependent on something being the right fit. When a player is comfortable with his/her surroundings and trusted by the manager as a single unique entity as part of a wider tactical schematic, more often than not, they will produce in big moments. For a gifted young player once dubbed King Charles, perhaps there is royal blood left in the tank that we have not yet seen.
By: Andrew Thompson / @GeecheeKid
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / BSR Agency – Getty Images