Our marvellous tale begins with one Derek Cornelius, born in the distant lands of Canada on the 25th of November 1997, which, if I'm doing my math correctly -- and I always am -- puts him at the ripe old age of 28. This tidy chap figured out early that he was good at keeping a ball out of a net, so he decided to make a career out of it, playing centre-back, primarily. He's currently employed by Rangers and dons the lucky number 13 on his back. Standing at about 6ft 2in tall (or 1.88m for you continental types) and tipping the scales at around 13st 7lb (or 86kg for our metric-loving cousins), he's somewhat of a force to be reckoned with. He's even represented his home country of Canada on the global stage, presumably to add some weight to his Tinder profile.
In a dazzling display of determination or perhaps desperation, Cornelius upped sticks from Neumünster in Germany's Regionalliga Nord -- that's the fourth tier, in case you were wondering -- signing for Javor Ivanjica in the Serbian top flight in January 2017.
Two years later, likely missing the comforts (and poutine) of home, Cornelius relocated back to the Great White North, joining Vancouver Whitecaps. According to Transfermarkt, he put in a solid shift during his time in the MLS, scoring once and making a decent number of appearances. It wasn't the stuff of legends, but one can only do so much in the MLS after all.
Some Greek side named Panetolikos then fell for Cornelius' charm and shipped him over on loan in July 2021. His stint in the Mediterranean seemed to be fruitful, again according to Transfermarkt, with him making a good few appearances and even chipping in with a couple of goals.
Cornelius packed his bags again in 2023, this time for Sweden's Malmo FF, for a fee best described as 'well, we're not sure, really'. There, he scored a couple of goals and generally played a lot of football.
August 2024 saw Cornelius head to the city of love and baguettes -- Marseille, to be clear -- for a reported fee of around £3.4 million. Not bad for a guy who started out in the Regionalliga Nord. His record there was, well, decidedly average.
Then, in September 2025, he made what I'm sure he thought was his dream move -- to Rangers, on loan. He's had a few outings for the side and even managed to notch a goal. Quite the accomplishment! He's gotten a kickabout in the League Cup, the Gold Cup, and the Europa League as well.
All in all, Derek Cornelius seems like an alright sort. He's not one of those guys who sets the world on fire with scintillating skills and awe-inspiring performances, but he seems to know how to play the beautiful game at a decent level at the hand that's been dealt to him, all while globe-trotting at the same time. Fair play to him.
