Enzo Cornelisse (born 29 June 2002) is a Dutch professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for club Vitesse.

Career

Born in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

, Netherlands, Cornelisse started playing football at ESA Rijkerswoerd and later developed his football skills at Vitesse, where he signed his first professional contract on 26 June 2020, at the age of 17. After training with the senior squad during the pre-season, Cornelisse was promoted to the first team in August 2020. He made his professional debut in the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

on 3 October 2020, as a substitute for

Thomas Bruns Thomas Bruns (born 7 January 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Heracles Almelo. Club career Heracles Almelo Born in Wierden, Bruns is a product of the local youth academy (Dutch source), which since ...

during a 3–0 victory against

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to t ...

. On 30 June 2021, Vitesse extended Cornelisse's contract by three years, securing his services until June 2024. In his early professional career, Cornelisse often served as a substitute, facing significant competition for a starting spot from players such as

Danilho Doekhi Danilho Raimundo Doekhi (born 30 June 1998) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Union Berlin. Club career Doekhi was transferred to the AFC Ajax youth program in July 2016, but is a product of the Excelsior y ...

Jacob Rasmussen Jacob Vandsø Ryfeldt Rasmussen (born 28 May 1997) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg. Club career Early career Born in Odense, Rasmussen began his youth career at age f ...

, and

Riechedly Bazoer Riechedly Guillermo Bazoer (born 12 October 1996) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Turkish club Konyaspor. Club career Ajax Bazoer joined Ajax on a free from rival Eredivisie club ...

. Despite limited playing time, particularly during the 2021–22 season, and his expressed interest in leaving the club in January 2022, Vitesse opted to retain him, citing his potential value in the event of a departure by one of their regular starters. Cornelisse started more regularly for Vitesse in the 2023–24 season, thriving in a

defensive midfield In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

role under head coach

Phillip Cocu Phillip John-William Cocu (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch professional football manager and former midfielder who was most recently the manager of Vitesse. Cocu was born in Eindhoven but raised in Zevenaar, playing youth football for local cl ...

. Vitesse suffered relegation at the end of the season after being deducted eighteen points for failing to comply with the

Royal Dutch Football Association The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues ( Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch men's and w ...

(KNVB)'s license requirements amid continuous financial troubles. Cornelisse followed Vitesse down the

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...

and established himself as a starter at

as the club's financial struggles continued.

Personal life

Cornelisse is the son of Tim Cornelisse, and the nephew of Yuri Cornelisse who were both professional footballers.

Career statistics

References

External links

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Enzo Cornelisse
at

Voetbal International ''Voetbal International'' (VI) is a Dutch football magazine. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running. History and profile ''Voetbal International'' was established in 1965. VI was one of the founding members of ESM. It l ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornelisse, Enzo 2002 births Living people Footballers from Arnhem Dutch men's footballers Men's association football central defenders SBV Vitesse players Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players 21st-century Dutch sportsmen