La Presse in Marseille | Derek Cornelius, the other face of Canada’s defense

(Marseille) Right on time, Derek Cornelius was the first to arrive. The Canadian defender, engaged with Olympique de Marseille since last summer, had a meeting with The Pressin what was also a sort of afternoon of promotional filming in the OM press building.

Then arrived Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (ex-Tottenham), current Ligue 1 top scorer Mason Greenwood (ex-Red Devil), Neal Maupay and Jonathan Rowe.

Chance and friendly encounters, certainly. But it wasn’t them that we were dealing with on this Thursday with the very pleasant weather in Marseille. Compared to the polar vortex that we joyfully left behind when flying from Montreal, this sunny 15 degrees gave the sensation of a warm July sun on the skin.

“Life is good here,” the Ontarian confirms with a smile. The winter is quite a bit better than that of Canada. »

Why did we cross the Atlantic to the south of France to come and talk to the Canadian international? In truth, what brings us to Marseille this week, then to Nice in the coming days, is a derby which will take place on Sunday between OM and OGC Nice, where the two Quebecers Ismaël Koné and Moïse Bombito are playing, respectively.

We will come back to this in future reports. Because for now, Derek Cornelius is sitting in front of us, patiently and kindly answering our questions, and we really want to learn more about this player who has blossomed on the international scene and in France in recent months .

The members of the OM communications team noted among themselves that Cornelius was always one of the most punctual in the group.

And we quickly realize that this seriousness is observed in the rest of his personality. His speech is calm, frank. He even seems a little too modest to us for what he accomplishes today, at 27 years old. Cornelius is a starter at Marseille, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, after years of dragging his backpack around Germany, Serbia, Vancouver, Greece and Sweden before ending up with the Phocaeans.

“It was good for me,” he said. Discovering all these cultures and environments was a challenge. I had to adjust everywhere I went. But I always try to keep an open mind and improve no matter where I am. It allowed me to accept these different cultures, these different styles of play, coaches, teammates, everything. »

Jesse Marsch, whom we reached by telephone on Thursday, has just taken the opposite route to the one we took. The Canada coach resides in Italy, but he is currently embarking on a journey to meet football communities from coast to coast. The first words he says when asked about Cornelius?

“He’s mature,” he replies without hesitation. He has been to different places in Europe. He is consistent in the way he handles the ups and downs. He is a true professional in terms of his life and work ethic. He takes his job very seriously. »

After six months in France, the Canadian is already doing quite well in French. In particular thanks to the courses that OM offers to all its players who need them.

“My French is not ready for an interview,” he said very appropriately in the language of Thierry Henry. I must continue [à l’apprendre]. »

Changes in culture… and position

Derek Cornelius was born in 1997 in Ajax, Ontario, to a Jamaican mother and a “Bajan” father, a term used locally by Barbadians to refer to themselves.

“I had a very normal childhood, with my two parents and my sister. My father was very fond of sport, and when the 2002 World Cup was playing on TV, I fell in love with football at first sight. I watched Ronaldinho Gaúcho play with a smile on his face, and I knew from that moment that this was what I wanted to do with my life. »

Cornelius left home at 15 to join the youth club in Lübeck, in the north of Germany. “I did pretty well in German in the end! », he says.

He left Germany in 2017 and found a club in southern Serbia, Javor-Matis, now in the second division. He stayed there for two and a half years, and described this experience as the “most difficult” of the lot.

“It was a very small village, and no one spoke English. Which means we can often feel alone. But I come back to it: when we experience such situations, it makes us stronger. So looking back, I’m glad I experienced them. »

This is also where he goes from number 9 to central defender. He is 19 years old.

It is as a central defender that he excels today. And that’s how he made his debut for the Canadian team. Until becoming an indisputable starter for Jesse Marsch alongside Moïse Bombito, precisely.

He discovered MLS with the Vancouver Whitecaps, from 2019 to 2021, then returned to Europe by leaving on loan with Panetolikós, in Greece. He then spent a year in Sweden, with Malmö. Until Marseille acquired him last summer, in the same transfer window which saw Koné also join OM, and Bombito sign with Nice. There are now five Canadians in French D1 clubs, unheard of by far.

A little thanks to… Jonathan David

Oh yes. In the meantime, Cornelius is participating in a World Cup in 2022. But it was with the arrival of Jesse Marsch that his place in the national team was confirmed. Let the coach tell us the story.

“I went to meet Johnny [Jonathan David]relates Marsch. I told him I was looking at the centre-backs, and I asked him who among the loan players he saw becoming more permanent players in the team. He answered: Moses and Derek. »

Good thing, those were the two guys Marsch had in mind. “And then I found out Jonathan and Derek were best friends [rires]. But he really respects Derek for the professional he is. »

Cornelius wants to give credit to his coach in this regard. “He invested a lot of time in us, in video sessions, to adjust our style of play to our strengths and weaknesses and in his system. Ultimately, he believed in us. We can still reach another level. »

Make the Vélodrome vibrate

In Marseille and at the legendary Vélodrome, Derek Cornelius experiences something “special”.

“The stadium is huge, and it’s full for almost every game. At the start of the season, we struggled at home and had good results abroad. »

After 18 matches, OM are in second place, with 37 points, 9 less than Paris Saint-Germain, still undefeated.

“But now the team is playing well at home, we are winning, and the atmosphere is electric. When you see how special it can be, it pushes you even more to go for those victories to have that feeling again. »