And the ItalianOptic award of February goes to… Charles de Ketelaere! In the face of the countless red-marked names featuring last month’s nominations, it was CDK who wooed the Atalanta fans, edging past the fierce competition to pick up his second MVP trophy after etching his name on the first page of the 2024 Player of The Month Yearbook.

Charles started the black-and-blue February on the right foot (or rather left, in his case) by single-handedly leading Atalanta’s offensive in the 3-1 win over Lazio: after setting the opening into motion, he doubled the Nerazzurri’s lead with an ice-cold finish from the spot before hogging the playmaking limelight in the second half. The following week he broke the deadlock at the Luigi Ferraris stadium with an undisputed banger, bound to be one of the best bets for the upcoming Goal of the Month award. But if this was not clear enough, CDK was also crowned Atalanta’s MVP of the two games above by the Nerazzurri fans, who then confirmed their pick in the POTM ballots.

Also picking up two MVP trophies on his way to his first POTM nomination, Marco Carnesecchi claimed runner-up honours in February thanks to both his key saves in the Meazza draw against Milan and, foremost, to the (double) save(s) on Pinamonti’s penalty – or rather penalties – in Atalanta’s win over Sassuolo, surely the undisputed high of the Nerazzurri keeper’s month. On the third step of the podium, a true household name of the ItalianOptic-branded pageant: who else but Teun Koopmeiners? His immaculate free-kick against Genoa, his goal against Sassuolo and the spot-kick equaliser in San Siro surely etched his name on the bronze medal.

To cram in our contestants’ February in one video, here are the official highlights of Genoa v Atalanta, where all our three nominees left their marks, each one in his own unique way.

Kudos to Charles for his second Player of the Month award: till we meet again, dear Nerazzurri fans!