The POTM clocks 90: Krstović is January's cover star! 

And the next number drawn on the Player of the Month wheel is 90… Nikola Krstović!
Winking at the Smorfia, this month it’s the Montenegrin striker who hits the jackpot, making his debut in the Lete Hall of Fame, after sending shivers through opposing defenses with the very fear his number represents.

Rounding out the POTM tern, Marco Carnesecchi in second place and Charles De Ketelaere taking third!

A rampage, the one unleashed by Krstović for January’s POTM, that kicked off in Bologna, where, despite being a surprise call-up due to Scamacca’s absence, he immediately rewarded the faith with a deadly one-two that sealed game-set-match at the Dall’Ara. From that night as a master of the pitch in Emilia-Romagna, Nikola kept busting defenses wide open, racking up an offensive haul of 5 goals and 1 assist in 7 games. Proof that the saying “New year, new me” was more than a motto; it was a non-negotiable mantra for him.

Adding even more weight to the stats was a mental shift that turned Nikola into not just January’s offensive spearhead, but a standout example of mentality, as coach Palladino noted, winning over the Nerazzurri faithful: fully embracing the typically Bergamasco "Mola Mia" attitude, which translated on the pitch into tireless work, relentless sacrifice, and an insatiable hunger, paired with grit and the drive to dominate every ball from the first minute to the 90th—whether chasing the 2-3 equalizer against Athletic Club to spark Atalanta’s comeback, or capping a 4-0 rout over Parma, scoring at the 90th and claiming his second Player of the Match award of the season after his show-stopping Bologna performance.

Granitic Yin to Krstović’s goal-scoring Yang, Carnesecchi claims the silver for January: if Nikola was setting the opposition box on fire with his killer instinct, Marco turned his goal into an impenetrable fortress, locking down second place in this edition of the POTM with clean sheets – 3 in 5 games for the month, with his performances against Roma and Bologna true masterpieces, bolstering up Atalanta’s buttress in their climb up the league table.

Capping his January were match-defining saves at critical moments, even when the goals came: the standout was the trip to Pisa, where only Durosinmi’s last-gasp strike managed to pierce the number 29 wall.

Closing out the podium is the ultimate “Player of the Match collector”, Charles De Ketelaere: if Nikola brought the ferocity and Marco the granitic solidity, for Charles it was magic and class – once again – that were his trademark.

A thorn in the side and a constant nightmare in Bologna, master of every duel – in the air and on the ground – the Belgian playmaker raised the bar even higher, adding another MVP to his collection thanks to the opener against Torino – a goal, a little easter egg for our most attentive followers, crafted off Ahanor’s "heads-up". His dominance was so clear that teammate Zalewski jokingly launched a “petition” to curb the power of number 17.

Čestitke Nikola for your Lete Player of The Month debut!