SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CHARLES DE KETELAERE

A closer look at the 21-year-old Belgian: from tennis to judo, the megaphone and that goal against Italy. He’s called Charles De Ketelaere, he’s a Belgian player born in 2001 arriving from Club Brugge and has just been announced as the new Rossoneri’s signing. Well, you already knew that, so now let’s take a deep dive into his past:

THE PRONUNCIATION OF HIS SURNAME
Please don't get it wrong.

DESTINED FOR ITALY
Italy was most probably in his destiny. An indication came during the third-place play-off in the UEFA Nations League when, on 10 October 2021, De Ketelaere scored his first and so far, only goal for Belgium. The opponent? Only the Azzurri, in Turin, halving the deficit to 2-1. However, the goal wasn't enough to avoid defeat. In his career, he has already faced an Italian opponent: Lazio. In the 2020/21 Champions League group stages, both encounters ended in draws, 1-1 away and 2-2 at home in the reverse fixture. 

THE BELGIAN FACTOR
At AC Milan, he will be reunited with Origi and Saelemaekers, his teammates with the Red Devils. It was Alexis who he replaced in the first Nations League game, in which he scored his first goal for Belgium. At club level, however, with the goal scored against Zenit on 20 October 2020, Charles became the second-youngest Belgian of all time to score in the Champions League, after Vanden Borre.

FROM CLAY COURT TO FOOTBALL PITCH
Before dedicating himself to football, Charles had a great passion for tennis. He appeared to be one of the best players of his generation in Belgium, starring in a number of tournaments. A completely different world, but important and valuable in shaping his mentality above all: “In tennis, if you make a mistake, you can’t blame it on anyone else.” Fundamental in convincing him to prioritise football was scout Birger Van De Velde: “I have always thought that in football Charles had something special, to the point where I went straight to his mum; I let her know and she listened to me. So, I told her myself that I hoped he went to AC Milan: she owes me a shirt now…”

FAN & CAPO OF THE ULTRAS
He was born in Bruges, walking distance from the Jan Breydel Stadium, and by eight years old he was playing for Club Brugge’s academy and has played for no other club since. After winning the Belgian Supercup trophy less than a month ago – despite not making an appearance in the final – he dressed up like the capo of the Ultras during the parade. Standing below a stand full of his former fans, he grabbed the megaphone and began singing one of their classic chants. It was a truly emotional moment: his final farewell before leaving. A few months ago, he had said: “In the past, I would have been terrified at the thought of leaving Club Brugge, the club that I love, but now I feel completely ready.”

WINNING MENTALITY
It hasn’t even been three years since his introduction to the First Team, a 3-0 victory over Francs Borains in the Belgian Cup (25 September 2019), and he already has five national titles under his belt. He has raised at least one trophy in every season as a senior player: the Belgian Pro League in 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22; and the Belgian Supercup in 2021 and 2022. He understands what it means to win, he knows the path to success; still hungry for more, now is the perfect time for him to join Italy’s top flight. To Charles, losing has never been an option: even as a young boy he won an amateur Judo competition and a Kubb tournament, a Swedish game similar to bowls.

INTELLIGENCE
Driven both athletically and intellectually: De Ketelaere went to De Wassenaard primary school in Varsenare and Sint-Lodewijkscollege secondary school in Bruges, deepening his knowledge of maths and science, before then going on to study Law at the University of Gent.

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