Derek Cornelius, born on 25 November 1997 (age 28), is a Canadian central defender with Marseille, where he wears the number 13 shirt. His profile is fairly straightforward: a left-sided defender by trade, established enough to be part of Canada’s senior set-up, but still with a career that has more solid staging posts than headline turns.
His strongest league season came in 2023 with Malmö FF, when he scored three goals in 25 appearances. For a centre-half, that is useful enough production without needing to dress it up as anything more dramatic.
By 2026-27, Cornelius was at Marseille and had made three Ligue 1 appearances. He has also been involved internationally in the same season, making four World Cup appearances and two Gold Cup appearances for Canada.
Cornelius’s career to this point has taken him from a productive spell in Sweden to a place in the Marseille squad and regular involvement with Canada. It is a steady senior career, built around defensive work rather than fuss.
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