Derek Cornelius, born in Canada on the 25th of November, 1997 (26 years of age), identifies as a defender with expertise as a central defender. Currently, he holds the reins for Marseille, sporting the number 13 jersey. Standing tall at approximately 1.88 meters (6 feet 2 inches) with a weight of around 86 kg (13 stones and 7 pounds), he also represents the Canadian national team.
In January of 2017, Cornelius made an important move, transferring from Neumünster, a club based in the Regionalliga Nord in Germany, to Javor Ivanjica in Serbia's First League.
In terms of career progression, Cornelius went on to transfer from Javor Ivanjica to Vancouver Whitecaps, a club in the USA's Major League Soccer (MLS), in January 2019. During his debut season, the 2019 season for Vancouver Whitecaps, Cornelius made a commendable 17 first-team appearances, scoring one goal. This debut was followed by two more seasons with the Whitecaps, with 13 first-team appearances in the 2020 season, and five in the 2021 season.
Moreover, the summer of 2021 saw Cornelius leaving Vancouver Whitecaps for Panetolikos in Greece's Super League as part of a loan agreement. During the 2021-2022 season at Panetolikos, he made his presence known with 29 first-team appearances, netting two goals. Talk of the subsequent 2022-2023 season also has Cornelius making more than a dozen first team appearances.
In a significant movement along his career trajectory, Cornelius moved on from Vancouver Whitecaps and joined Malmo FF in the Allsvenskan league in Sweden in January 2023 for an undisclosed fee. During his time there, he enjoyed a productive 2023 season with 25 first-team appearances and three goals, followed by the 2024 season with 12 first-team appearances and two goals.
Moving towards the more recent changes, in August 2024, Cornelius transferred from Malmo FF to Marseille in France's illustrious Ligue 1 for a fee around £3.4 million. Currently, in the ongoing 2024-2025 season with Marseille, he’s made five first team appearances.
On an international front, Cornelius represented Canada in the Copa America 2024, with five starts and one appearance as a substitute.
