Damian van Bruggen

Damian van Bruggen
Van Bruggen in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-03-18) 18 March 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Utrecht, Netherlands
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Vejle
Number 14
Youth career
0000–2011 Almere City
2011–2014 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Jong Ajax 60 (2)
2016–2018 Jong PSV 36 (0)
2017–2018 → VVV-Venlo (loan) 26 (2)
2018–2020 VVV-Venlo 22 (0)
2020 Inter Zaprešić 16 (0)
2020–2022 Slaven Belupo 49 (1)
2022 Olimpija Ljubljana 16 (0)
2022–2024 Almere City 68 (1)
2024– Vejle 14 (1)
International career
2011–2012 Netherlands U16 4 (0)
2012–2013 Netherlands U17 11 (2)
2013 Netherlands U18 3 (0)
2014–2015 Netherlands U19 10 (2)
2016 Netherlands U20 3 (0)
2016–2017 Netherlands U21 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 December 2024

Damian van Bruggen (born 18 March 1996) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Danish Superliga club Vejle Boldklub. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a defensive midfielder or a full-back.

Club career

Van Bruggen moved from Almere City to the Ajax youth academy at the start of the 2011–12 season.[1] In March 2013, Van Bruggen signed his first professional contract with Ajax, at the age of 16.[2]

Van Bruggen made his professional debut for Jong Ajax as a 61st-minute substitute for Ricardo van Rhijn in an Eerste Divisie match against Fortuna Sittard on 16 August 2014.[3]

He moved on a season-long loan to Eredivisie club VVV-Venlo in August 2017.[4] After a successful season, he joined the club on a permanent deal in May 2018.[5]

Between 2020 and 2022, Van Bruggen played for Croatian clubs Inter Zaprešić and Slaven Belupo, then briefly joined Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana in February 2022.[6][7][8] He returned to his native Netherlands in July 2022, rejoining his first club, Almere City.[9][10] His stint at the club proved rewarding as he played a crucial role in their historic promotion to the Eredivisie during the 2022–23 season, scoring once in 43 league appearances, including the play-offs. Under Van Bruggen's captaincy, the team secured their promotion after a victory over Emmen in the play-off finals.[11]

On 5 July 2024, Danish Superliga club Vejle Boldklub confirmed that they had signed van Bruggen on a deal until 30 June 2026.[12]

Career statistics

As of match played 19 May 2024[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong Ajax 2014–15 Eerste Divisie 31 2 — — 31 2
2015–16 Eerste Divisie 29 0 — — 29 0
Total 60 2 — — 60 2
Jong PSV 2016–17 Eerste Divisie 36 0 — — 26 0
VVV-Venlo (loan) 2017–18 Eredivisie 26 2 3 1 — 29 3
VVV-Venlo 2018–19 Eredivisie 18 0 2 0 — 20 0
2019–20 Eredivisie 4 0 0 0 — 4 0
Total 22 0 2 0 — 24 0
Inter Zaprešić 2019–20 Croatian Football League 16 0 0 0 — 16 0
Slaven Belupo 2020–21 Croatian Football League 28 1 3 0 — 31 1
2021–22 Croatian Football League 21 0 3 0 — 24 0
Total 49 1 6 0 — 55 1
Olimpija Ljubljana 2021–22 Slovenian PrvaLiga 16 0 0 0 — 16 0
Almere City 2022–23 Eerste Divisie 37 1 2 0 6[a] 0 44 1
2023–24 Eerste Divisie 31 0 1 0 — 32 0
Total 68 1 3 0 6 0 77 1
Vejle Boldklub 2024–25 Danish Superliga 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Career total 293 6 14 1 6 0 313 7
  1. ^ Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs

References

  1. ^ "Van Bruggen dolblij met overstap naar Ajax". Almerecity.nl. 12 February 2011. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Ajax contracteert jeugdspelers". Ajax.nl. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Fortuna Sittard vs. Jong Ajax - 16 August 2014". Soccerway. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Van Bruggen verruilt PSV voor VVV-Venlo". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 11 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  5. ^ "VVV neemt Van Bruggen definitief over van PSV". NOS (in Dutch). 28 May 2018. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Petrovic haalt Van Bruggen weg bij VVV-Venlo". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 18 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Čović, Prce, van Bruggen, Maglica, Boakye i Mlinar novi igrači Slaven Belupa". NK Slaven Belupo (Press release) (in Croatian). 9 August 2020. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  8. ^ "U Skenderov široki zagrljaj: Damian van Bruggen novi je igrač Olimpije iz Ljubljane". Telesport (in Slovenian). 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Damian van Bruggen keert na elf jaar terug in Almere". Almere City FC (Press release) (in Dutch). 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  10. ^ Wit, Herman de (15 July 2022). "Damian van Brugge terug op oude nest". Omroep Almere (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Almere City debuteert volgend seizoen in eredivisie: 'Geweldig ontwikkeld'". NOS (in Dutch). 11 June 2023. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Vejle Boldklub henter hollandsk profil". Vejle Boldklub (Press release) (in Danish). 5 July 2024. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  13. ^ Damian van Bruggen at Soccerway