Guess who's back?! Retegui wins the Lete POTM for January!
Crowned by the Nerazzurri fans on the official Atalanta App
Mateo is back! Or perhaps it’s more fitting to say está de vuelta... After witnessing the electrifying form of a fired-up De Ketelaere, who grabbed a back-to-back in the final rush of 2024 and claimed the outgoing POTM, Retegui has weathered the CDK storm with a flurry of goals, restoring the status quo in January with his third Player of the Month award of the season (the first under the Lete sponsorship) and reclaiming the top spot in the Nerazzurri MVP rankings. In his pursuit of a third seasonal title, Atalanta's number 32 had to outshine Carnesecchi (who once again claimed second place after securing silver in January) and Éderson, who earned his second podium finish after a bronze in November.
January's POTM saw Mateo go the extra mile, making up for the time lost due to the injury that kept him sidelined in the first games of the New Year. Forced to chomp at bit as the team took it to Riyadh and Udine, the number 32 seized the first available opportunity to remind everyone, if there was any doubt, of his killer instinct… Just 13 minute, barely enough time for Retegui to score his first of five goals in January: a powerful, no-nonsense strike (classic MR32 style) that leveled the playing field at the Gewiss Stadium against Juventus. A predatory leap to meet Bellanova’s cross, beating everyone to the punch, and sending the Bergamasco crowd into a frenzy. From there on, El Chapita kept adding to his tally, breaking records along the way just to leave nothing to chance: his goal against Napoli was the first of the game, making him part of the exclusive club of Nerazzurri players to score against the Partenopei both at home and away in the same season. Mateo also took charge on the European stage, getting on the scoresheet in the Champions League win over Sturm Graz with a classic poacher’s strike. Talking about pounces, how could we leave out the brace at Sinigaglia in the equation for January’s POTM? In 13 minutes, almost as if it were a sign of destiny, to unleash perfect storm on that branch of Lake Como and flip the script on the Larians with two strikes...
At the Sinigaglia Stadium in Como, the Nerazzurri secured three crucial points with a comeback, thanks to a brace by Mateo Retegui, who has now reached 16 goals in the league.
It was like déjà vu from last month, with Marco Carnesecchi once again landing in second place, just a hair's breadth from going hand-in-glove with the MVP of the month award. In the same vein, his performances, without missing a beat, earned him a well-deserved back-to-back finish on the second step of the podium: after coming out on top in his showdown with Lautaro in the Italian Supercup, Marco repeated the feat in the Bianconero double showdown against Udinese and Juventus,pulling off two goal-line saves and shutting up shop in the dying minutes against attempts from Lucca and Kalulu, before notching his second clean sheet of the month against Sturm Graz.
The Nerazzurri's first home match of the New Year ends in a draw against Juventus.
A well-earned bronze medal for a familiar name in the POTM race, Éderson dos Santos! For the Brazilian, the spotlight needs no introduction: top-tier quality, relentless work rate, tireless running, and vital recoveries… all while never shying away from more creative and attacking duties wowing the Nerazzurri fans with smooth touches and pure Joga Bonito magic: step-overs, roulettes, nutmegs; as usual, when it comes to our no. 13's technical toolkit, the sky is the limit amd January was no exception either! And let’s not forget his contributions in the final third, with key assists and goals: from the perfectly timed pass that unleashed Retegui’s thunderbolt against Napoli to the stunning tomahawk strike that sparked the comeback against Barcelona. Bronze, then, for the "all-rounder" from Campo Grande.
Atalanta battled back twice to secure a well-earned draw against Barcelona courtesy of Éderson's stunner and the paw of Mr. “Big Nights specialist“ himself, Mario Pašalić!
All rise for Retegui's "third" then... As always, Nerazzurri fans, we’ll catch you at the next POTM round!