Denzel Dumfries
Denzel Justus Morris Dumfries (born 18 April 1996) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Netherlands national team.Dumfries began his senior career in 2014 at Sparta Rotterdam, helping them gain promotion to the Eredivisie in 2016 as the Eerste Divisie Talent of the Year.[5][6] Growing up, Dumfries said he was determined to make it as a professional footballer, for which he was ridiculed and mocked by his peers, due to his lack of technical skills at the time.[7][8] But Dumfries proved his doubters wrong, saying in an interview with Voetbal International: "I knew I would become a professional football player and I said it to everyone: I'm sure I'll make the Dutch national team."[9] As a Rotterdam native, Dumfries began his football career at Spartaan '20 and spent two years before he was released by the club for being "not considered good enough as a boy" and was not well liked by teammates and even trainers.[15] Dumfries then made his professional debut on 20 February 2015 against FC Emmen, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss.[21] After serving a one match suspension, Dumfries returned to the starting line–up against Almere City on 14 March 2016, as Sparta Rotterdam lost 1–0.[35] He later helped Sparta Rotterdam avoid relegation after the club won the last two matches of the season against FC Twente and Go Ahead Eagles.[36] A month after leaving Sparta Rotterdam, Dumfries was given a farewell send-off prior to the club's match against PEC Zwolle, along with departing teammates Mart Dijkstra, Rick Ketting and David Mendes da Silva.[37] In October 2016, Dumfries stated that he wanted to leave Sparta Rotterdam in hopes of playing in a higher level.[38] In summer 2017, Dumfries joined Heerenveen to replace Belgium-bound Stefano Marzo and signed a four–year contract with the club.[39] He made his debut for Heerenveen, starting a match in the opening game of the season against FC Groningen and set up two goals, in a 3–3 draw.[43] During a match against PSV Eindhoven, Dumfries was subjected of the attention after Jürgen Locadia allegedly spat him, which was caught on camera, leading to an investigation from the KNVB committee.[46] His performances impressed the Dutch media that Dumfries was named Team of the Week by Algemeen Dagblad at least four occasions in the 2017–18 season.[48] In a league match against AZ Alkmaar on 23 December 2017, Dumfries scored an own goal to give the opposition team an equaliser, which the club eventually lost 3–1.[51] After serving a one match suspension due to picking up five yellow cards this season, he returned to the starting line–up against Willem II and set up a goal, in a 2–0 win on 3 March 2018.[60] He helped PSV Eindhoven got off to a good start to the season, including qualifying for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage after beating Bate Borisov 6–3 on aggregate and saw the club on a winning streak, resulting in them at the top of the table by the end of the month.[61] Dumfries made his UEFA Champions League debut against FC Barcelona on 18 September 2018 and started the whole game in the right–back, as PSV Eindhoven lost 4–0.[62] He helped PSV Eindhoven keep five clean sheets in five league matches between 15 September 2018 and 20 October 2018, including a 3–0 win over rivals, Ajax.[74] Throughout the club's matches in the UEFA Europa League qualification, Dumfries started four times and helped PSV Eindhoven advance to the group stage after beating FK Haugesund and Apollon Limassol (which he also earned a scoresheet in the first leg).[87] Despite weighing up his options, he ended up staying at PSV Eindhoven, leading the club to start a new contract negotiation with the player.[88] At the start of the 2020–21 season, Dumfries continued to resume his captain role at PSV Eindhoven after Roger Schmidt chose him over Pablo Rosario.[101] His suspension against SC Heerenveen on 2 May 2021 saw the club draw 2–2, resulting in them losing their league title chances to rivals, Ajax.[110] Dumfries made his debut for Inter Milan as a second-half substitute against Genoa on the opening day of the 2021–22 Serie A season, winning 4–0.Dumfries was eligible to play for Aruba through his father, Boris; Suriname through his mother, Marleen; and Netherlands, his birthplace.[125] During a 4–0 win against Belarus on 21 March 2019, Dumfries started in a European qualifier match and played 68 minutes before being substituted, due to suffering from a groin injury.[133] Having not played for Oranje for almost a year, Dumfries made his first appearances for Netherlands against Italy on 7 September 2020, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 loss.[138] Dutch football expert James Rowe told BBC Sport that prior to the start of the tournament, De Boer's favoured 5-3-2 formation would suit Dumfries and the marauding wing-back has looked more like a right-sided forward at times.[147] Former teammate Daniël Esajas said about Dumfries: "As humble, almost shy as Denzel could be off the field, he was so convinced of his footballing qualities."[149] Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport compared Dumfries to the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, writing: "In the beginning nobody trusts it, but you had better invest in it", which he responded by laughing in the press conference.
Inter MilanRotterdamRight-backright wing-backSmitshoekBVV BarendrechtSparta RotterdamHeerenveenNetherlands U20Netherlands U21NetherlandsfootballUEFA Nations League2019 PortugalSerie ANetherlands national teamEredivisieEerste Divisiecaptainthird seasonUEFA Euro 20202022 FIFA World CupEuro 2024South HollandSurinameseArubanDenzel WashingtonVoetbal InternationalBarendrechtFeyenoordFC EmmenRKC WaalwijkAlmere CityJong Ajaxnext seasonAZ AlkmaarExcelsiorJanne SakselaFC TwenteGo Ahead EaglesPEC ZwolleMart DijkstraRick KettingDavid Mendes da SilvaStefano MarzoFC GroningenADO Den HaagAlgemeen DagbladJürgen LocadiaVVV-VenloWillem IIFC UtrechtPSV EindhovenJoshua BrenetSantiago Ariasthe Johan Cruyff ShieldBate BorisovFC BarcelonarivalsHeracles AlmeloVitesseDe GraafschapJohan Cruyff ShieldFK HaugesundApollon LimassolSteven BergwijnIbrahim AfellayPablo RosarioCOVID-19 pandemicJuventusRoger SchmidtAC OmoniaFC VolendamEvertonBayern MunichRed Bull Salzburg2021–22 Serie ACagliariSurinameAruba national football teamfriendly matchGiovanni FrankenPortugal U20Portugal U21UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualificationRonald KoemanGermanyFranceBelarusUEFA Nations League FinalsEnglandthe finalPortugalKenny TeteJoël VeltmanBosnia and HerzegovinaDutch 34-man preliminary squadEuro 2020CoronavirusUkraineAustriaCzech RepublicPuskás ArénaBudapestUnited StatesUEFA Euro 2024Alex PastoorBen WijnstekersLa Gazzetta dello SportBitcoinDe TelegraafMark van BommelAad de MosKenneth PerezJahfarr WilnisCOVID-19pandemic in the NetherlandsracismChristian2014–152015–162016–172017–182018–192019–202020–21