In the 23rd round of Serie A this season, Atalanta won 3-1 at home to Clarzio, in which De Ketelaere scored a brace and shined all over the field. De Ketelaere has contributed nine goals and seven assists in 26 appearances for Atalanta in all competitions so far, making him the team's top scorer, in stark contrast to his performances at Milan last season. Why did the Belgian star, who had high hopes from the Rossoneri, get lost at the San Siro? And does the rebirth in Atlanta mean that you will never be able to walk the road again?
De Ketelaere made his debut in the youth ranks at Club Brugge and was promoted to the first team in the summer of 2019. In the 2021-22 season, he sat firmly in the main force and ushered in an explosion, making 48 appearances for Club Brugge in all competitions, handing over a double-double of 18 goals and 11 assists, which attracted a lot of attention from the big five league teams. In the summer of 2022, Milan finally brought De Ketelaere to the San Siro for 36.5 million euros after lengthy negotiations. For Europe's top giants, this transfer fee may not be a big deal, but for Milan, who have been in their pockets for a long time, it means a big gamble. As the season's champion, De Ketelaere is sixth in Milan's all-time list.
De Ketelaere came to Milan with the aura of "new Kaka", in fact, he only landed at the San Siro at the age of 21 with Kaka, and he looks a little handsome, but in terms of style of play, it is naturally difficult for CDK to replicate the ball-holding advancement of the Brazilian meteor. As a versatile midfielder, De Ketelaere can play as a midfielder, winger and even centre-forward, but his personal style is not obvious, but his shortcomings are obvious: he needs space when attacking as a midfielder, and his shooting style as a striker is too one-dimensional. In recent years, it has been common for rising stars in Europe's non-top five leagues to be relegated when they first enter the big five leagues, and De Ketelaere is no exception, and his failure in Milan is also evident. The transfer negotiations between Milan and Club Brugge were so lengthy that CDK missed the team's summer training, which partly delayed him from integrating into the system after the start of the season.
Last season, De Ketelaere made 13 of his 40 appearances in all competitions under Stefano Pioli, providing just one assist and failing to score, a figure that fell far short of expectations even given the newcomer's lack of adaptation. From midfielder to cameo centre-forward, De Ketelaere showed a negative state of neglect of movement, wasted opportunities and helplessness, and Milan seemed to have easily accepted the disillusionment of the "new Kaka". Last summer, the Rossoneri brought in a number of people in the midfield, directly excluded CDK from the plan, and loaned him to Atalanta for 3 million euros. Now it seems that the saying is true: the tree dies, and the man lives.
De Ketelaere himself may not be obsessed with so-called revenge, but there must be a gimmick against the old club against Milan for the True Nerazzurri this season. Serie A No. 1 Atalanta hosted Milan and he provided an assist to help the team beat his former club 3-2. In the 1 4 finals of the Italian Cup, Atalanta defeated Milan 2-1 away to complete the double, but fortunately CDK has not yet broken through Milan's goal, otherwise it will become a problem to celebrate or not.
At least statistically, De Ketelaere did usher in a rebirth in Atalanta, which inevitably raised questions about Pioli's ability to coach new talents, but that doesn't matter anymore. CDK has no fate with Milan, and Atalanta is willing to give him a buyout**, and he has finally regained his value in time.