After Balogun fracas, Belgium False 9 Charles de Ketelaere catches US cold

4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 7, 2026 07:45 PM IST

Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere (17) celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Kevin de…..Ketelaere. While the focus of the Round of 16 match was entirely on USA’s No. 9 Folarin Balogun, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia was loading up his own False 9 move.

With the rescinding of the American striker’s red card dominating the narrative going into the clash, Garcia had already got down to plotting his on-field response.

Part 1 of that plan was striking off the talismanic Kevin de Bruyne from the starting sheet, given his returns from the first four matches were sparse. And Part 2 was giving his 6-ft-4 versatile No. 9 Charles Ketelaere the freedom to take on his multiple duties upfront – an attacking midfielder-cum-winger-cumcentre forward.

Known for his vision and dribbling skill that resembles De Bruyne’s, and the technical finesse to back the intelligence, the Atalanta player had been deployed exactly like this in pre-World Cup friendlies.

Unleashing the 25-year-old De Ketelaere on the USA was a move the co-hosts didn’t see coming, as Garcia held back Romelu Lukaku too. The result was two quick goals in the first half from De Ketelaere, who had gone under the radar in the first four games.

The first strike in the ninth minute was a poacher’s tap-in, and the second neutralised Malik Tillman’s equaliser with a header from an ace Leandro Trossard cross.

De Bruyne had provided the assist for De Ketelaere’s first international goal in a Nations League third-place playoff against Italy. After his brace in Seattle, he now has six goals in his last nine matches for Belgium.

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A bright future for De Ketelaere had been predicted in 2021 itself, with the Belgian golden generation in danger of passing by without anything to show for their individual lustre. Youri Tielemans was the bridge between the two generations, but De Ketelaere, who won the Young Talent of the Year ahead of Jeremy Doku back in 2019, was being put through the paces.

Growing up at Bruges, he had flopped at AC Milan in his first season due to unpredictable growth spurts till he settled at 6-ft-3. But the Rossoneri had noted his potential for goals. For Bruges, he had outshone in a UEFA Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain, which had both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in their ranks.

Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere (17) scores their opening goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)

Hometown club

De Ketelaere’s love for football was nurtured at Club Brugge’s Jan Breydel Stadium – just 500 metres away from his home. He loved his time as a ballboy at the arena – his second-best memory with the Red Devils. His first – the World Cup in Russia where Belgium finished third.

“There’s the bronze medal, but also all the people who came together to watch the Devils,” he told dhnet.be in 2021. “I also have a good memory of a friendly match against Slovakia. I was a ballboy, and it was great fun,” he added, referring to a 2-1 win in February 2013.

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The BBC reported how his name was written in graffiti on a wall near his home after an injury-time winner at Zenit St Petersburg. He had joined the club at 7, and weaned himself away from tennis which he was good at, because Bruges was his fairytale club in the fairytale city. As his fame grew and they dubbed him Prince Clarles, he stopped visiting the neighbourhood bakery, because he was too shy for selfies. He would continue staying at his mother’s place, watch darts obsessively on weekends and study law.

While AC Milan never clicked, De Ketelaere found his home east in Bergamo with Atalanta, first on loan and then permanently. He literally scored within minutes of the start in his first match, and settled in a versatile role where he had 32 goals and 31 assists.

Garcia deployed him closer to the box – to hone his sharpness.

Belgium had gone ballistic on l’affaire Balogun. Behind the bombast and bedlam though, was Garcia slipping in his real False Nine – rearranging the personnel as KDB changed to CDK.

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Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.

Professional Profile

Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.

Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.

Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.

Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)

Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:

Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.

PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.

The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.

Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.

Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.

Notable Recent Articles

BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)

The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)

Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)

Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)

Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)

Other Sports Interests

Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.

You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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