Derek Cornelius

Derek Austin Cornelius (born 25 November 1997) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Allsvenskan club Malmö FF and the Canada national team.

Early life
Cornelius was born in Ajax, Ontario to a Barbadian father and a Jamaican mother. Cornelius started playing when he was selected as a younger player for the 1996 House League All-Star team. He was then selected by the Ajax Thunder under-8 team at six years old. In the season after that, he was the Unionville Milliken Challenge Cup Champions Most Valuable Player. At the U11 level, he won the C.O.V.I. Championship and was proclaimed the Most Valuable Player.

In 2012, he played in the Oviedo Cup with PFC CSKA Moscow in Spain, then he played in the Milk Cup by CSKA Moscow in Northern Ireland where he led the team scoring four goals in the tournament. He ended that year by being invited to the CSKA Moscow Reserve Camp and by playing in the U21 Provincial and Men's Regional leagues, scoring 22 goals in 30 games.

In 2013, he was selected for the Canada national under-17 team for camp in Florida and Costa Rica, and was later selected for the CONCACAF World Cup U17 Qualifier pre-camp in Florida. He was also selected for the Canada national under-16 Team for the Torneo delle Nazioni tournament in Italy. That same year he was invited to Hungary for trials with Nyíregyháza Spartacus FC and Győri ETO FC in March.

Early career
In January 2014, he moved to Germany. He began training with VfB Lübeck U19 team. He spent two seasons with the main team, but was unable to play due to FIFA rules for underaged players. He became eligible to play effective on 1 January 2016. With VfB Lübeck he won the Schleswig-Holstein Cup two years in a row and made an appearance in the 2015–16 Regionalliga Nord.

In the summer of 2016, he moved to VfR Neumünster playing with them the first half of the season.

Javor Ivanjica
During the winter break of the 2016–17 season, Cornelius was signed by Serbian SuperLiga side FK Javor Ivanjica after successful trials. He made his league debut on 29 April 2017, in an away game against FK Radnički Niš. Javor head coach Srđan Vasiljević converted Cornelius from a forward into a centre-back.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
On 18 January 2019, Cornelius returned to his native Canada and signed with MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He made his debut for the Whitecaps on 2 March in their 2019 MLS season opener against Minnesota United. Cornelius scored his first goal for the club on 18 May against Sporting Kansas City.

In July 2021 the Whitecaps announced Cornelius had been loaned to Panetolikos of the Super League Greece until December 2022.

Malmö FF
In December 2022 Vancouver announced Cornelius had been transferred to Allsvenskan side Malmö FF. He signed a contract through 2026 with the Scandinavian club. Cornelius made his competitive debut for his new club against Skövde AIK in the Svenska Cupen on February 19, 2023. He scored his first goal for Malmö on March 5 against Degerfors IF, winning the match. His first season with Malmö was a success, with the club winning the 2023 Allsvenskan.

Youth
Cornelius was part of a Canadian U17 camp in February 2013. He was called up to a U23 camp in January 2018. In May 2018, Cornelius was named to Canada's under-21 squad for the 2018 Toulon Tournament and would earn rave reviews for his performance at the tournament. At the end of 2018, he was named the Canada Soccer Youth International Player of the Year.

In March 2021 Cornelius was named to the Canadian U-23 roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship. He served as captain throughout the tournament, and scored a goal against Honduras in Canada's final group stage match.

Senior
In March 2018, Cornelius received his first call up to the Canadian senior side for a friendly against New Zealand to be played on March 24. He would make his debut for Canada on September 9, 2018, starting and playing the entire match in an 8–0 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands. Cornelius was named to the 23-man squad for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup on May 30, 2019.

In November 2022, Cornelius was named to Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In June 2023 Cornelius was named to the final 23-man squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, but after suffering an injury with his club side Malmö FF, he was withdrawn from the squad and replaced by Moïse Bombito.

In June 2024, Cornelius was named to Canada's squad for the 2024 Copa América.

Honours
VfB Lübeck
 * Schleswig-Holstein Cup: 2015, 2016

Malmö FF Individual
 * Allsvenskan: 2023
 * Svenska Cupen: 2023–24
 * CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Best XI: 2020
 * Canadian Men's Youth International Player of the Year: 2018