Charles De Ketelaere

Charles Marc S. De Ketelaere ( ; born 10 March 2001) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for club Atalanta and the Belgium national team.

Club career Club Brugge De Ketelaere joined Club Brugge at the age of seven, also working as a ball boy. He also played tennis as a youth, but chose to pursue football.

On 22 October 2019, he made his UEFA Champions League debut against Paris Saint-Germain. He started the game and was substituted in the 57th minute with the score of 1–0 to Paris Saint-Germain, the game eventually ended with a 5–0 loss. On 5 February 2020, he scored a goal in a 2–1 win against Zulte Waregem to reach the Belgian Cup final.

On 20 October 2020, De Ketelaere scored the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute to defeat Zenit St. Petersburg 2–1 in the group stage of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.

AC Milan

On 2 August 2022, De Ketelaere joined Serie A club AC Milan on a contract until 30 June 2027. Signed for a fee reported to be in the range of €35 million, De Ketelaere however failed to fulfill the initial expectations of the Rossoneri, scoring no goals throughout the entire season and making only nine league starts.

Atalanta On 16 August 2023, Atalanta formally confirmed the signing of De Ketelaere from AC Milan on a loan move with an option to buy. On 20 August 2023, De Ketelaere came off the bench during Atalanta's Serie A match against Sassuolo, striking the crossbar before sealing his debut Serie A goal with a precise header. The match ended 2–0 in Atalanta's favour. On 21 September, De Ketelaere marked his presence by netting his first goal in a UEFA Europa League group stage match against Raków Częstochowa, contributing to Atalanta's 2–0 victory. De Ketelaere scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions during his first season at Atalanta; the club made his move permanent on 15 June 2024. Later that year, on 26 November, he scored a brace and provided a hat-trick of assists in a 6–1 away victory over Young Boys in the Champions League.

International career

In November 2020, De Ketelaere debuted for the Belgian senior squad as a substitute in a loss to Switzerland for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League. On 10 October 2021, he scored his first international goal in the third place playoff match loss to Italy for the Nations League, 2–1.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he scored two goals, provided an assist and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory against host nation the United States in the round of 16. He scored the equalizing goal in the quarter-final against Spain, although Belgium eventually succumbed to a 2–1 defeat. It was the only goal Spain conceded in their ultimately victorious World Cup campaign. Hence, he equalled Romelu Lukaku's record of three goals for the most knockout-stage goals by a Belgian player in World Cup history.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each De Ketelaere goal.

Honours Club Brugge Belgian First Division A: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 Belgian Super Cup: 2021

Atalanta UEFA Europa League: 2023–24 Coppa Italia runner-up: 2023–24

Individual Belgian Promising Talent of the Year: 2020 Best Youngster of the Belgian Pro League: 2020, 2021 Dominique D'Onofrio Award: 2020 Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2021–22 Golden Shoe Best Belgian Abroad: 2024