De Ketelaere reacts to Europa League triumph: “I’ve grown a lot this season”

By Euan Burns -

Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere has said that he has ‘grown a lot this season’ after winning the Europa League with La Dea.

The Belgian forward is on loan at Atalanta from AC Milan but that move is expected to be made permanent come the end of the season given he has had such a great campaign in Bergamo.

Atalanta won the Europa League on Wednesday night after producing a stunning display to beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Dublin, with Ademola Lookman getting all three goals.

De Ketelaere spoke to Sky Sport Italia (via Milan News) after the match and he could barely put into words how he was feeling about helping Atalanta to win their first-ever European trophy, and the first trophy since 1963.

“I’m very proud, very happy, I don’t even have words,” De Ketelaere said.

Asked if he imagined this happening when he made the move in August, he said: “No, never. I feel very good.”

It is the first trophy of Gian Piero Gasperini’s time with Atalanta and De Ketelaere was asked whether the win is all down to the guidance of Gasperini. He praised the coach but also gave credit to the players, including himself.

“A lot, but the whole team in these years of work… It’s a reward for me too, I’ve grown a lot this season and winning here in the final against Leverkusen who had never lost is really nice,” he said.

Tags AC Milan Atalanta Charles De Ketelaere

20 Comments

  1. Atalanta were sensational, the energy, ferocity and pace at which they pressed was devastating…they battered Leverkusen. I’d love to take Scalvini and Koopmeiners from them

    1. They were superb!!

      They really represented Serie A with pride and class, delighted for them!

      Gasperini is a really good coach, I’d be very happy with him at Milan.

      In terms of their players Ederson would be top of my wish list, exactly what we need!!
      Give them CDK plus cash

  2. And yet still no attempts made to hire Gasperini the mastermind behind Leverkusen finally losing a game and a european final at that !! I’ve said it before and I’m Gona say it again, Gasperini I rate him…

      1. He was loaned to a club who know his potential and a coach who believed in him.
        He deserves every bit of the success.
        If you’re not okay with that, go to CAS.

    1. Didn’t watch the game then? He actually did ok, had one good chance to score but hit it at the keeper. He worked hard and did some good link up play

      1. I enjoyed the game very much and Atalanta were superb, most of their players had stand out games. CDK was just ordinary

        “De Ketelaere – 6 – A solid but fairly forgettable evening for the Belgian talent, whose only real highlight was a decent shot in the first half.”

        Football Italia

        Fair assessment imo

  3. Had been out boozing yesterday so hadnt seen that atalanta had beaten leverusen yet alone played yesterday, very nice and i get a bit emotiional as its a big achievement for a minor of european clubs and its clear how much it meant for them 🙂 Congratz to them.

  4. Congrats bro CdK. Gasperini was smart ass !! Reminder for milan management, he is the perfect coach for Milan tagline: UCL spot, revenue, young players and sale for the highest price.

  5. He was loaned to a club who know his potential and a coach who believed in him.
    He deserves every bit of the success.
    If you’re not okay with that, go to CAS.

  6. This may not be a genius, but we clearly didn’t figure out how to employ his skills for the best… Well, now it’s the time to grab the money from the deal and move on…

  7. He was ok. He had a couple of chances and his decision making was crisp. But Gasp uses his squad well. When CDK or whoever is not having a good night the subs are usually quite good. He packed the midfield with Pasalic. And it helped stifle Bayer even more.
    But at the end of the day he’s still a major title winner. Happy for the kid.

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