| Van Bruggen in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 March 1996 | ||
| 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 | |||
| –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 | 29 | (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 29 May 2025 | |||
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.
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]
| 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 | ||