Charles De Ketelaere: Football Star, Heading for the 2026 World Cup

Charles De Ketelaere began to attract attention while playing at Club Brugge, the club he had played for since the age of seven. This 1.93 meter tall player has been compared to the captain of the Belgian national team, Kevin De Bruyne, and won various individual awards. He was named Belgium's Promising Talent of 2020, the best young player in the Belgian Pro League, and received the Dominique D'Onofrio Award. In 2021, De Ketelaere was again awarded Best Young Player, and in 2022, he was declared Belgian Young Player of the Year.

After his brilliant performances, a major step towards his career in Europe seemed inevitable. Many clubs, including those from the Premier League, showed interest, but he ultimately chose to move to AC Milan for a fee of €35 million in August 2022. This transfer should have been the first step to achieving greater success, but De Ketelaere's potential did not materialize at the San Siro. He failed to score and provided just one assist in his debut season, making just nine league starts.

His ability to play in various positions, including as a right winger, attacking midfielder or main striker, actually makes it difficult for him to find a suitable role in Milan's system. He then joined Atalanta on loan and began to find his rhythm. In his debut season with Atalanta, he scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists, playing a major role as an attacking midfielder, as Atalanta won the Europa League title. The following season, he continued his impressive performance with 25 goal contributions (13 goals, 12 assists). However, this season, he has only collected five goals and seven assists, hampered by the knee surgery he underwent.

Now 25, De Ketelaere may hope to have more than his 28 caps with Belgium at this stage. At the 2022 World Cup, he only made one appearance as a 75th-minute substitute against Morocco, but he could have a more prominent role this summer. Similar to his time at Milan, the challenge for De Ketelaere is to find the right role in Rudi Garcia's 4-2-3-1 formation. However, in recent times, he seems to have established himself as one of Belgium's main attacking options. During qualifying, De Ketelaere mostly played as a center forward and scored three goals and provided three assists in his last five appearances as a number 9. His competition for that position, Romelu Lukaku, endured an injury-riddled season at Napoli, meaning De Ketelaere could have a big role at this World Cup.