Charles De Ketelaere

In this Flemish name, the surname is De Ketelaere, not Ketelaere.

Charles De Ketelaere

De Ketelaere with Belgium in 2026
Personal information
Full name	Charles Marc S. De Ketelaere [1]
Date of birth	(2001-03-10) 10 March 2001 (age 25)
Place of birth	Bruges, Belgium
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) [2]
Positions	Attacking midfielder forward
Team information
Current team	Atalanta
Number	17
Youth career
2008–2019	Club Brugge
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2022	Club Brugge	90	(19)
2022–2024	AC Milan	32	(0)
2023–2024	→ Atalanta (loan)	35	(10)
2024–	Atalanta	67	(10)
International career‡
2017	Belgium U16	4	(1)
2018	Belgium U17	1	(0)
2019	Belgium U19	6	(3)
2020–2023	Belgium U21	10	(1)
2020–	Belgium	35	(9)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:07, 22 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:05, 10 July 2026 (UTC)

Charles Marc S. De Ketelaere (Dutch pronunciation: [dəˈkeːtəˌlaːrə] ; born 10 March 2001) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Serie A 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. ^[3] He also played tennis as a youth, but chose to pursue football. ^[3]

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. ^[4]

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. ^[5] On 5 February 2020, he scored a goal in a 2–1 win against Zulte Waregem to reach the Belgian Cup final. ^[6]

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. ^[7]

AC Milan

De Ketelaere with AC Milan in 2022

On 2 August 2022, De Ketelaere joined Serie A club AC Milan on a contract until 30 June 2027. ^[8] 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. ^[9]

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. ^[10] 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. ^[11] The match ended 2–0 in Atalanta's favour. ^[12] 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. ^{[13] [14]} 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. ^[15] 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. ^[16]

International career

De Ketelaere warming up for the 2021 Nations League game against Italy

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. ^[17] 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. ^[3] In a 2022 FIFA World Cup match against Morocco, De Ketelaere came on as a substitute for Michy Batshuayi in the 75th minute. ^[18]

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. ^{[19] [20]} He scored the equalizing goal in the quarter-final against Spain, the only goal Spain conceded in their ultimately victorious World Cup campaign, although Belgium eventually succumbed to a 2–1 defeat. ^[21] Hence, he equalled Romelu Lukaku's record of three goals for the most knockout-stage goals by a Belgian player in World Cup history. ^[22]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 22 May 2026 ^[23]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Club Brugge	2019–20	Belgian Pro League	13	1	6	1	6 [b]	0	—		25	2
	2020–21		38	4	1	0	7 [c]	2	—		46	6
	2021–22		39	14	3	4	6 [d]	0	1 [e]	0	49	18
	Total		90	19	10	5	19	2	1	0	120	26
AC Milan	2022–23	Serie A	32	0	1	0	6 [d]	0	1 [f]	0	40	0
Atalanta (loan)	2023–24	Serie A	35	10	4	2	11 [g]	2	—		50	14
Atalanta	2024–25		36	7	2	2	10 [d]	4	2 [h]	0	50	13
	2025–26		31	3	3	0	8 [d]	2	—		42	5
	Atalanta total		102	20	9	4	29	8	2	0	142	32
Career total			224	39	20	9	54	10	4	0	302	58

1. Includes Belgian Cup, Coppa Italia
2. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
5. Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
6. Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
7. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
8. One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Supercoppa Italiana

International

As of match played 10 July 2026 ^[24]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Belgium	2020	1	0
	2021	3	1
	2022	7	0
	2023	3	1
	2024	6	0
	2025	6	2
	2026	9	5
Total		35	9

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each De Ketelaere goal. ^[25]

List of international goals scored by Charles De Ketelaere

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 October 2021	Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy	2	Italy	1–2	1–2	2021 UEFA Nations League Finals
2	12 September 2023	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	13	Estonia	5–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
3	18 November 2025	Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium	26	Liechtenstein	6–0	7–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
4					7–0
5	28 March 2026	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States	27	United States	3–1	5–2	Friendly
6	6 June 2026	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	30	Tunisia	2–0	5–0
7	6 July 2026	Lumen Field, Seattle, United States	34	United States	1–0	4–1	2026 FIFA World Cup
8					2–1
9	10 July 2026	SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, United States	35	Spain	1–1	1–2

Honours

Club Brugge

• Belgian First Division A: 2019–20, ^[26] 2020–21, 2021–22 ^[27]
• Belgian Super Cup: 2021 ^[28]

Atalanta

• UEFA Europa League: 2023–24 ^[29]
• Coppa Italia runner-up: 2023–24 ^[30]

Individual

• Belgian Promising Talent of the Year: 2020 ^[31]
• Best Youngster of the Belgian Pro League: 2020, 2021 ^{[32] [33]}
• Dominique D'Onofrio Award: 2020 ^[34]
• Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2021–22 ^[35]
• Golden Shoe Best Belgian Abroad: 2024 ^[36]

References

1. "Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Belgium (BEL)" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
2. "Charles De Ketelaere". Club Brugge (in French). 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
3. "Is De Ketelaere Belgium's new De Bruyne?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
4. "Francs Borains v Club Brugge game report". Soccerway. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
5. "Club Brugge v PSG game report". Soccerway. 22 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
6. "Club staat in de bekerfinale met dank aan gouden invaller De Ketelaere". sporza.be (in Dutch). 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
7. "Club Brugge stun wasteful Zenit with late winner". ESPN. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
8. "Charles De Ketelaere joins AC Milan: official statement". AC Milan. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
9. "AC Milan flop De Ketelaere determined to redeem himself". Football Today. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
10. "CHARLES DE KETELAERE IS AN ATALANTA PLAYER!". Atalanta BC. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
11. "De Ketelaere scores less than 40 minutes into his Atalanta debut". OneFootball. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
12. "De Ketelaere and Zortea seal victory over Sassuolo – Atalanta". Atalanta BC. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
13. "Atalanta seal 2-0 victory over Raków in Europa League opener". Atalanta BC. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
14. "Atalanta-Rakow 2-0: gol di De Ketelaere ed Ederson, Gasperini torna in Europa con una vittoria". la Repubblica (in Italian). 21 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
15. Heyes, Apollo (15 June 2024). "Official: Atalanta purchase De Ketelaere from Milan". Football Italia. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
16. "Young Boys "knocked for six" in Bern and another UCL win!". Atalanta BC. 26 November 2024. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
17. "L'équipe nationale, "un rêve qui se réalise" pour Charles De Ketelaere" [The national team, "a dream come true" for Charles De Ketelaere]. DH Les Sports (in French). 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
18. "Belgium 0–2 Morocco". ESPN. 27 November 2022.
19. "Belgium end USA's World Cup dream". FIFA. 7 July 2026.
20. Rindl, Joe (7 July 2026). "United States 1–4 Belgium". BBC Sport.
21. "Spain scores late goal on a mistake from Belgium's back-up keeper to earn a spot in the World Cup semifinals". CNN. 10 July 2026.
22. Sagar, Sunaadh (10 July 2026). "FIFA World Cup 2026 stats: Merino makes World Cup history; Yamal-Cubarsi first since Pele-Altafini". ESPN.
23. "C. De Ketelaere". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
24. Charles De Ketelaere at the Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
25. "Charles De Ketelaere". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
26. "Club Brugge is kampioen en Waasland-Beveren degradeert, 1A volgend seizoen met zestien ploegen én verkorte play-offs". www.hln.be (in dutch). Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
27. "Club Brugge completes hat trick of Belgian titles". AP News. 15 May 2022. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
28. "Club Brugge vs. Gent 3–2". Soccerway. 17 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
29. "Atalanta 3-0 Leverkusen: Lookman treble brings UEFA Europa League glory to Bergamo". UEFA . Union of European Football Associations. 22 May 2024. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
30. "Juventus 1-0 Atalanta: Juve win a record 15th Coppa Italia". BBC Sport. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
31. "De Ketelaere is Belofte van het Jaar en het smaakt naar meer: "Gouden Schoen? Ik weet niet of het haalbaar is"". www.hln.be (in dutch). Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
32. "Soulier d'Or : De Ketelaere élu Espoir de l'année devant Vranckx et Raskin, la razzia brugeoise continue". 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
33. "Soulier d'Or : De Ketelaere élu Espoir de l'année devant Vranckx et Raskin, la razzia brugeoise continue". 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 19 June 2024.
34. "Charles De Ketelaere krijgt trofee voor beste nieuwkomer in de Jupiler Pro League". kw.be (in Dutch). 19 July 2021.
35. "Deniz Undav is Profvoetballer & Tessa Wullaert Profvoetbalster van het Jaar". SPORZA. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
36. "Bekijk hier de uitslagen van het 71e Gala van de Gouden Schoen". Sporza (in Dutch). 4 February 2025. Archived from the original on 25 February 2025.

External links

• Charles De Ketelaere at the Royal Belgian Football Association
• Charles De Ketelaere – UEFA competition record ( archive )