Charles De Ketelaere


Charles Marc S. De Ketelaere is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for club Atalanta and the Belgium national team.
IG charlesdeketelaere

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.
He made his senior debut on 25 September 2019, when he played the full game in the 2019–20 Belgian Cup matchup against Francs Borains.
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. In a 2022 FIFA World Cup match against Morocco, De Ketelaere came on as a substitute Michy Batshuayi in the 75th minute.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
110 October 2021Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy21–21–22021 UEFA Nations League Finals
212 September 2023King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium135–05–0UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
318 November 2025Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium266–07–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
418 November 2025Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium267–07–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club Brugge
Atalanta
Individual