Damian van Bruggen

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.

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

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

External links

• Damian van Bruggen at Soccerway
• Damian van Bruggen at WorldFootball.net
• Netherlands profile