Charles De Ketelaere was born on March 10, 2001 in , Belgium. He is 192cm tall and weighs 79 kilograms. He plays the role of midfielder/center midfielder and can also serve as right midfielder/right winger. . In his previous career, CDK has played almost all positions except the junior goalkeeper, and he can be said to be versatile in both offense and defense. CDK came from the Bruges youth training. In the 2019-20 season, at the age of 18, he gradually gained opportunities with the first team. In the Belgian League last season, he played 39 times, scored 14 goals and received 9 assists, becoming a key player in the team.
CDK has been a Milan fan since he was a child, which is one of the important reasons why Milan spent a lot of money to introduce this player.
CDK was used more as the team's center last season. Due to his height advantage, coupled with his good physical fitness and foot skills, he has a wide range of activities and can be moved to the wing at any time. He has strong passing ability and can even play the role of a bridgehead for a traditional center, holding the ball behind his back and serving as the fulcrum of the offense.
But what Milan values more is CDK's overall vision on the court and his ability to sort out the midfield. As we all know, the defending champion's lineup in the new season has three major holes, the right wing + lack of organization in the midfield + lack of air defense points in the rear. The arrival of CDK is officially to fill the organizational problem in the midfield. In the just-concluded match against Bologna , CDK ushered in Milan's first start and received his first assist in Serie A in just 62 minutes. In addition to the data, it also showed a way of playing that impressed the fans. Under CDK's review, Milan's midfielder had a clear offensive idea that had not been seen for a long time, which greatly improved Milan's midfield organization ability.
In January 2021, CDK was selected as the top 50 rising stars in European football.
In February 2021, CDK ranked 21st in the selection of the best U20 players (born in 2001 or later) in football organized by French newspaper L'Equipe.
On May 21, 2021, he followed Brugge to win the Belgian Football League championship in the 2020-21 season one round ahead of schedule; in August of the same year, he was selected into the new world preliminaries roster announced by the Belgian national team; in October, he was selected Belgium announced the list of participants in the UEFA Nations League; in October, it was selected into the 20 candidate list for the 2021 Golden Boy Award.
On August 3, 2022, official news was that AC Milan signed Bruges midfielder CDK with a transfer fee of 32 million euros.
In the new season, CDK still needs to continue to adapt to the rhythm of Serie A and . It can be expected that CDK will become the core of Milan's offense for many years to come. Fans have high hopes for it and even call it the "new Kaka". Although his playing style is very different from Kaká's, he already has a place in the hearts of Milan fans and will surely become Milan's new Prince Charles over time.
Comprehensive evaluation: 80
Speed: 80
Shooting: 81
Passing: 81
Dribbling: 83
Defense: 73
Strength: 79
