Denzel Dumfries

Denzel Justus Morris Dumfries (born 18 April 1996) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back for 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. In 2017, he joined Heerenveen, before moving to PSV the following year, eventually becoming the club captain. In 2021, Dumfries joined Serie A side Inter Milan.

Born in the Netherlands to an Aruban father, Dumfries initially represented Aruba internationally in 2014, before switching allegiance to the Netherlands. He made his senior debut in 2018, and represented the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Denzel Justus Morris Dumfries was born on 18 April 1996 in Rotterdam, South Holland, to a Surinamese mother and Aruban father. His parents named him after American actor Denzel Washington.

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. 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. I knew that they all thought that doesn't make sense. But I have always proclaimed it. The people who have not seen it in me have been limited in their vision. They only looked at me at the time, but they should have looked further. How can he develop? I think everyone should look at themselves that way, not limit yourself to someone small. You have to look up, not down. What can I achieve, what is my potential and how am I going to get there? I knew exactly what I had to do to take certain steps."

Club career

Sparta Rotterdam

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. Shortly after, Dumfries then joined Smitshoek, having to "sign up for himself" and said about his time at the club, saying: "As a youth I could already go to Spartaan'20, but that was difficult. My parents always had to bring me, I had to wait until I could ride my own bike. It took some getting used to. Smitshoek was a village, this was in the city. You had to fight for your place, maybe I was a bit too timid among all those city boys. You might find it hard to believe now, but I was a bit shy and reserved. They were all men, tough guys." When he started out playing football, Dumfries played as a striker before converting to defender. Dumfries then signed up for amateur side Barendrecht and spent a year at the club. At one point, Feyenoord scouted the player but they rejected him, claiming that "he's not good enough."

Dumfries then left Barendrecht for Sparta Rotterdam in 2014. Having progressed with the club's youth system within months, he signed his first professional contract with Sparta Rotterdam on a multi-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2017. 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. He later made two more appearances in the 2014–15 season, both coming on as a substitute.

At the start of the 2015–16 season, Dumfries started out on the substitute bench before he established himself in the first team, playing in the right–back position and helped Sparta Rotterdam become contenders for promotion to Eredivisie. On 7 November 2015, Dumfries signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him at the club until 2019. He then scored his first goal in his professional career, in a 5–2 win against RKC Waalwijk on 18 January 2016. Dumfries started in every match, playing in the right–back position, to help the club maintain their promotion to Eredivisie until he was suspended for one match for picking up five yellow cards this season. 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. He later helped the club beat Jong Ajax 3–1 on 11 April 2016 to confirm their promotion to the Eredivisie next season. Throughout the 2015–16 season, Dumfries' performance led to Dutch media, calling him the best player in the league. For his performance, he won both Eerste Divisie Talent of the Year Award and the Bronze Bull. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Dumfries went on to make thirty–three appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

At the start of the 2016–17 season, Dumfries said about the new season, saying: "So the Eredivisie came for me at a good time. I want to keep developing myself, so it's good to have better and smarter opponents against me now. They force me to be smarter in choosing the moments I can come up with, but I think I picked this up pretty quickly." He continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the right–back position. However, Dumfries received a red card for a second bookable offence, in a 1–1 draw against AZ Alkmaar on 2 October 2016. After serving a one match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 loss against PSV Eindhoven on 22 October 2016. Dumfries then scored his first Eredivisie goal, in a 3–2 loss against Excelsior on 19 November 2016. After serving a one match suspension in the next match, he returned to the starting line–up, in a 6–1 loss against Feyenoord on 4 December 2016. However, Dumfries found himself competing with new signing Janne Saksela over the right–back position. As a result, he was dropped to the substitute in favour of Saksela for two separate matches. Despite this, Dumfries continued to regain his first team place, playing in the right–back position for the rest of the 2016–17 season. 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. 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.

Heerenveen

In October 2016, Dumfries stated that he wanted to leave Sparta Rotterdam in hopes of playing in a higher level. In summer 2017, Dumfries joined Heerenveen to replace Belgium-bound Stefano Marzo and signed a four–year contract with the club.

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. Dumfries set up three goals, with twice against ADO Den Haag and once against PSV Eindhoven on 26 August 2017 and 10 September 2017 respectively. Both of the matches led to Dutch media Algemeen Dagblad named him Team of the Week. He also awarded Eredivisie's Talent of the Month for August. 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. Eventually, Locadia was cleared by the committee after the player came forward with the investigation. Since making his debut for the club, he quickly established himself in the first team, playing in the right–back position. 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. On 9 December 2017, he scored his first goal for Heerenveen, scoring a header with a first equaliser, in an eventual 2–2 draw against VVV-Venlo. 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. But he was able to make amends by scoring his second goal for Heerenveen, in a 2–1 win against his former club, Sparta Rotterdam on 26 January 2018. A week later on 6 February 2018, Dumfries scored his third goal for the club and setting up one of the goals, in a 3–2 loss against PEC Zwolle. 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. In the first leg of the league playoffs for the place in the UEFA Europa League spot against FC Utrecht, Dumfries scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 4–3 win. However, in the return leg, FC Utrecht managed to turn the deficit with the results by winning 2–1, resulting the opposition team going through, thanks to away goal rule. At the end of the 2017–18 season, he went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.

PSV

On 19 June 2018, Dumfries signed a five-year contract for PSV Eindhoven on a four–year contract, keeping him until 2023. The transfer fee reportedly be to have cost 5.5 million euros. It came after when he replaced the departing defender duo Joshua Brenet and Santiago Arias.

2018–19 season

Dumfries made his PSV Eindhoven debut, playing in the right–back position against Feyenoord in the Johan Cruyff Shield and started the whole game throughout 120 minutes, as PSV Eindhoven lost 6–5 on penalties. He scored on his league debut, scoring from a header, as the club won 4–0 against FC Utrecht in the opening game of the season. After the match, Dumfries was named Team of the Week by both De Telegraaf and Algemeen Dagblad. 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. 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. 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. Dumfires scored his second goal for the club against FC Groningen on 27 October 2018, which turned out to be a winning goal, in a 2–1 win. Since the start of the 2018–19 season, he immediately established himself in the first team, playing in the right–back position. Dumfries then scored his third goal for PSV Eindhoven, scoring from a header, in a 4–0 win against Heracles Almelo on 15 December 2018. He then helped the club keep three clean sheets in three matches between 3 March 2019 and 17 March 2019 in attempt to maintain their title contender status. Dumfries set up two goals in two matches between 7 April 2019 and 14 April 2019 against Vitesse and De Graafschap. This was followed up by scoring his fourth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against ADO Den Haag. However, he was unable to help PSV Eindhoven defend the league title after surrendering it to their rivals, Ajax. Having played in every league match throughout his first season at the club, Dumfries went on to make forty–three appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. For his performance, he was named Eredivisie Team of the Year of 2018–19 season

2019–20 season

At the start of the 2019–20 season, Dumfries started in the right–back position in the Johan Cruyff Shield against rivals, Ajax, as PSV Eindhoven lost 2–0. In the opening game of the season, he scored his first goal of the season, scoring an equaliser header, in a 1–1 draw against FC Twente. 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). He then scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against FC Groningen on 25 September 2019. A week later on 6 October 2019 against VVV-Venlo, Dumfries set up a goal for teammate Steven Bergwijn, who in return, set up a goal for him, as the club won 4–1. After the absent of Ibrahim Afellay and Pablo Rosario, it was announced that the player would be appointed as the new captain of PSV Eindhoven. He hinted about taking a captaincy for the club earlier in the season. Dumfries captained his first match for PSV Eindhoven against his former club, SC Heerenveen on 24 November 2019 and helped the club win 2–1. However, he was suspended for one match for picking five yellow cards, causing him to miss a match against PEC Zwolle on 21 December 2019 and was an ever–present in the right–back position since the start of the 2019–20 season until his suspension. Along the way, Dumfries received criticism for his performance, both domestically and internationally in the first half of the 2019–20 season, which he vowed to make an improvement in the second half of the season. After serving a one match suspension, Dumfries scored on his return, scoring a late minute equaliser, in a 1–1 draw against VVV-Venlo on 19 January 2020. This was followed up by scoring again in a 1–1 draw against FC Twente. Two weeks later on 8 February 2020, he scored his seventh goal of the season, in a 3–0 win against Willem II. Dumfries scored his eighth goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against FC Groningen on 8 March 2020, in what turned out to be the last game of the season and the team in fourth place when the season was curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time the season was suspended, he went on to make forty appearances and scoring eight times in all competitions.

2020–21 season

Ahead of the 2020–21 season, Dumfries was linked with a move to Serie A clubs, such as, Juventus and Milan. Despite weighing up his options, he ended up staying at PSV Eindhoven, leading the club to start a new contract negotiation with the player. 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. He helped the club make a good start to the season in first place in the first five league matches of the season and reaching the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. After recovering from COVID-19, Dumfries made his return to the starting line–up against Willem II on 8 November 2020 and set up two goals, in a 3–0 win. Following this, he continued to regain his first team place, playing in the right–back position, as well as, retaining his captaincy for PSV Eindhoven. Dumfries then scored his first goal of the season, in a 4–0 win against AC Omonia in the UEFA Europa League on 10 December 2020. He made his 100th appearance for the club, in a 2–1 win against De Graafschap in the second round of the KNVB Cup on 16 December 2020. Three days later on 19 December 2020, Dumfries scored his third goal of the season, in a 4–1 win against RKC Waalwijk. In late–December, he later said his aim as captain was to help PSV Eindhoven win the league. Dumfries scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against FC Volendam in the last 16 of the KNVB Cup on 19 January 2021. Having played in the right–back position for most of the season, he played in the right–midfield position against Vitesse on 21 February 2021, due to a rotation change made by Schmidt and the club went on to win 3–1. Dumfries then scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 3–0 win against Heracles Almelo on 4 April 2021. This was followed up by helping PSV Eindhoven keep two clean sheets in the next two matches to make it three in a row. 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. Despite suffering minor injuries on three separate occasions throughout the 2020–21 season, he went on to make forty–one appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.

Throughout the 2020–21 season, contract negotiations were a talking point as to whether Dumfries would stay at PSV Eindhoven. By February, the agreement has yet been reached between the two parties. In April 2021, it was expected that the player would be leaving the club in the summer transfer window. Throughout UEFA Euro 2020 with impressive performances, interest in signing the player increased from clubs around Europe, with Everton and Bayern Munich and Inter Milan interested.

Inter Milan

Dumfries joined Serie A champions Inter Milan on 14 August 2021 for 12.5 million euros, with a further 2.5 million euros as a bonus for the PSV Eindhoven. It was reported by the Dutch media that his former clubs would receive compensations as part of the transfer. Upon joining the club, he was given a number two shirt.

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.

International career

Aruba

Dumfries was eligible to play for Aruba through his father, Boris; Suriname through his mother, Marleen; and Netherlands, his birthplace. While still at Barendrecht, Dumfries received a call-up to play for the Aruba national football team. He made his debut in a March 2014 friendly match against Guam, starting a match, in a 2–2 draw. Dumfries scored a goal against the same opposition in their second encounter a few days later.

However, Dumfries maintained his desires to represent Netherlands because he believed playing for the Oranje was his international future. During his success in the UEFA Euro 2020, then Aruba manager Giovanni Franken told in an interview how people in Aruba were critical of Dumfries' decision to reject the national team, calling him a "traitor" at the time.

Netherlands youth team

In March 2016, Dumfries was called up to the Netherlands U20 squad for the first time. He made his Oranje U20 debut on 24 March 2016 against Portugal U20 and started the whole game, as they drew 1–1. Dumfries later made three more appearances by the end of the year.

In November 2016, Dumfries was called up to the Netherlands U21 squad for the first time. He made his debut for the Oranje U21, coming on as a 57th-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Portugal U21 on 15 November 2016. Dumfries became a first choice right–back for Netherlands U21, playing five times in 2017, mostly for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification. However, he continued to remain in the starting eleven for Oranje U21 between March and September. Dumfries went on to make eleven appearances for Netherlands U21.

Netherlands

Ronald Koeman named Dumfries in the Netherlands squad for the first time in October 2018. He played his first international match against Germany on 13 October 2018, as the Oranje national team won 3–0. After the match, Dumfries reflected on his debut, saying: "On the way to the game I had a moment of: this is really what I wanted and in which no one believed in. At that moment you are really proud of yourself. A fantastic moment for me, I worked hard for this." Although he was featured in a 2–0 win against France, Netherlands qualified for League A in the UEFA Nations League where they would qualify to the final four after drawing with Germany on the final match day, beating France by head-to-head records. 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. But he quickly recovered and was featured in a match against Germany on 24 March 2019, as Netherlands lost 3–2.

In May 2019, Dumfries was called up to the Netherlands squad for the inaugural UEFA Nations League Finals. He started the whole game against England in the semi–finals on 6 June 2019 and helped Oranje win 3–1 to reach the final. After the match, his performance was praised by FC Update, saying: "Without him, the Netherlands would probably have fallen 0-2 behind." However, in the final against Portugal three days later on 9 June 2019, Dumfries started the whole game, as Oranje lost 1–0. After the match, his performance came under criticism for his poor display throughout the match, a criticism he knowledge, calling it "sloppy". Between 2018 and 2019, Dumfries fought for his place in with Netherlands, competing in the right–back position with Kenny Tete and Joël Veltman.

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. In a UEFA Nations League match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 November 2020, he set up two goals for Oranje, as they won 3–1. In May 2021, Dumfries was named in the Dutch 34-man preliminary squad for Euro 2020 on 14 May 2021, with the 26-man squad to be announced on 26 May. The tournament which is taken place in the summer of 2021 due to the previous year's postponement as a result of Coronavirus. He was included in the final 26-man squad on 26 May. 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. On 13 June 2021, Dumfries scored his first goal for the Netherlands, netting the winner in a 3–2 win over Ukraine at UEFA Euro 2020. After the match, FC Update said about his performance: "A taxi can go fast, but if it doesn't drop you off at your destination, it's of little use. With his energy, Dumfries was great in the first half, but the finish was dramatic. He was (in)directly involved in both the first and second Orange goal, although he did not receive an assist before that and in fact he was annoyingly offside for the second goal. But the goal stood still and with his striking header (his first international goal!) it was still Dumfries' evening." He followed this up with a goal in the next game against Austria in a 2–0 win. Having helped Netherlands qualify for the knockout stage, Dumfries was named Best Eleven of the group stage tournament. The Dutch were knocked out in the Round of 16 after a 2–0 loss against Czech Republic on 27 June at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

In November 2022, he was named in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 3 December, he scored a goal and provided two assists in a 3–1 win over the United States in the round of 16.

Style of play

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. He never doubted that he would reach the absolute top. Denzel had one quality that many of his peers lacked: an unwavering commitment. But he sometimes took it too far. He wanted to give the pass and then head the ball in himself. I can still see Denzel racing across that field. Then he would have picked up the ball from his own keeper. And there he then went with those big steps, in one straight line to the other side, directly towards his goal. Denzel wasn't even super wide, rather tall. But he was just unbearable for opponents. He went right through them like an elephant. Boom Boom Boom!" Dumfries said about his position: "Still, I think eliminating the opponent is the most important task of a right back. You are, after all, on the defensive. I can make quite a few meters and I like to do that. It's part of my game. With personal trainer Hans Kroon we do a lot of strength training so that we become stronger every day. I may have to act smarter sometimes, but things like that come with time. Every game I get better and I gain experience. I can use that experience, for example, to ensure that I never get into positional problems again." He further stated: "They used to say I had ADHD, but I like to give gas, I always want to do that. I was thinking about it and thought: these are nice games that I play. I played them last year and not the year before. Very nice. It is addictive to act at the highest level."

Then manager Alex Pastoor said about Dumfries, saying: "He has a lot of conditions to be able to reach the absolute top. Just look at his physique. If you can come up eighty times per half... Those are things that ultimately the biggest clubs in the world fall for." His performance against Ajax on 23 October 2018 led former defender Ben Wijnstekers commenting: "I think he's great. Dumfries led the fight and that was typical of PSV. He was incredibly aggressive in the duels, bit into his opponent and kept coming up. He has an enormous condition and was very irritating for Ajax. Such a player is great to have on your team. He is sometimes too hot-tempered and because of his enthusiasm he occasionally makes unnecessary violations. He has to be a little smarter in that. And in terms of standing up, he might also be able to dose a little more." 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. ''De Telegraaf'' reporter John de Wolf commented about Dumfries, saying: "Denzel Dumfries played less conspicuously this time, not as compelling as usual. That's possible once. I worked with Denzel at Jong Sparta and later experienced as an assistant how he came to the first of Sparta. That was four years ago and when you see what he has achieved in the meantime, it is very impressive. You could then did not predict that he would achieve this. But Denzel stood out with his head power, jumping power and speed. I got to know him as a very enthusiastic boy, who had the absolute drive and passion to improve himself. It is admirable how he has done that."

Both Netherlands manager Koeman and then PSV Eindhoven manager Mark van Bommel praised Dumfries' development during the 2018–19 season. However, he faced criticism for playing the ball back instead of pressing more forward often. Dumfries responded to criticism, saying: "Then it's up to me to remain undisturbed. Just do my own thing and don't go crazy, to prove myself extra. Do everything I can to defend that goal. It's nice that I get that ball off the line". Former PSV Eindhoven manager Aad de Mos believed that Dumfries had the potential to be in the national team squad, though he thought that Dumfries needed to improve on his crosses. Dumfries said in an interview on the club's website that he has improved on his crosses since then. Former PSV Eindhoven manager Kenneth Perez described Dumfries as "someone who stands out for his team"

Personal life

Dumfries has two cousins, Jason and Jahfarr Wilnis, who are both kickboxers. In September 2020, he became a father for the first time.

In May 2020, Dumfries was among several players and staff members who agreed to give up a month's salary, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 25 October 2020, Dumfries tested positive for COVID-19 amid the pandemic in the Netherlands.

Dumfries has spoken out about racism, saying: "I don't like to play the victim role, but such incidents do come. I want to hear what drives someone, to think that this is funny. I am very open about that. I want to start such a conversation. That is the only way to learn to understand each other. In a football team, jokes are part and parcel, but it is always done within frameworks and with respect. It is binding, we also show interest in each other, regardless of origin or religion. That is what makes a team and that should be the case for the whole of society apply."

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Aruba's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dumfries goal.''

:''Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dumfries goal.''

Honours

Sparta Rotterdam
* Eerste Divisie: 2015–16

Inter Milan
* Coppa Italia: 2021–22
* Supercoppa Italiana: 2021

Individual
* Eredivisie Team of the Year: 2018–19

References

External links

Voetbal International profile


Netherlands profile
at Ons Oranje

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumfries, Denzel
1996 births
Living people
Footballers from Rotterdam
Dutch people of Aruban descent
Dutch sportspeople of Surinamese descent
Association football fullbacks
Aruban footballers
Aruba international footballers
Dutch footballers
Netherlands youth international footballers
Netherlands under-21 international footballers
Netherlands international footballers
Dual internationalists (football)
Sparta Rotterdam players
SC Heerenveen players
PSV Eindhoven players
Inter Milan players
Eredivisie players
Eerste Divisie players
Serie A players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Dutch expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Italy
21st-century Dutch people