And the first Lete POTM winner is... Charles de Ketelaere!
Crowned by the Nerazzurri fans on the official Atalanta App
Along the lines of the Italian motto "La classe non è acqua" (which roughly translates to "Class is not water!" ), never has a saying been more fitting, especially after the announcement of Lete as the new naming partner for the Player of the Month, to describe Charles De Ketelaere's first POTM title triumph! With his double debut (not only in the overall standings but also, and most importantly, in the honor roll under the new name) in the Golden Book of the Nerazzurri MVPs 2024/25, CDK put the golden brooch on his A-list November! Behind CDK follows the outgoing champion Lookman, who secured a solid second place thanks to his usual "Lookmanesque" performances and an enviable offensive record. The bronze medal goes to the number 13, Éderson dos Santos!
If there are two things we know all too well about Charles de Ketelaere, they are: 1) the Belgian rarely settles for anything less than the best, and 2) he has a particular fondness for ushering Atalanta’s Golden Records, whichever they may be (for reference just ask last season's Golden Book…)!
Put 2 and 2 together and it comes as no surprise that, while the third-place claimed in October only served to motivate Charles even further; as soon as we unveiled the new Lete-branded chapter in the history of the 2024/25 POTM campaign, the number 17 barged into the favourites’ pool to etch his name in the winner’s register.
Needless to say, especially when it comes to the Player Of The Month race, Charles had to bring all his skills and determination to the table, and for once, we’re not just talking about the football pitch alone... He worked tirelessly, as usual, to dazzle the crowd from the very first opportunity by pulling the strings behind the goleada at the Maradona stadium that ushered in November. From there onward, the Belgian simply did what he does best: namely to fuel the black-and-blue escalation in both the Serie A and the Champions League as his aggregated contribution of 8 goals last month goes to show...
When discussing Charles' "golden rush," we cannot overlook the performance that most likely shifted the balance in November’s voting: we’re, of course, referring to his monstrous display in the 6-1 win in Bern, where the Belgian scored twice and provided three assists!
Second place went to the outgoing POTM, Ademola Lookman, who had to relinquish his throne despite an exceptional run: despite scoring a brace against Napoli to secure a top-of-the-table clash win, as well as goals in Parma and at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart, the Serie A’s MVP for our 11th and 13th matchdays and the fresh winner of the 2024 African Ballon d'Or had no chance against a relentless De Ketelaere. Eager to give tit for tat to Charles, who, just by the looks of our December partials, seems to have already thrown his hat in the ring for next month’s pageant; Mola being Mola has vowed to make our December contest a rather spicy affair.
And in third place… Éderson! As expected, for the Brazilian, the key words in November were quality and quantity, without losing the habit of mixing timely defensive interventions and flashes of “Joga Bonito” brilliance with his knack for leaving his offensive mark - as shown by his performance in the away game at the Tardini, where he was named man of the match!
Simply CDK: Watch the highlights of the Belgian attacking midfielder's stunning performance in matchday 5 of the League phase.
On Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Champions League, Atalanta stormed to victory by defeating Young Boys 6-1 in Bern. The scorers for the Nerazzurri were Retegui and De Ketelaere, both netting a brace, along with Kolašinac and Samardžić.
Gefeliciteerd Charles on winning the first-ever Lete Player Of The Month of the season!