Denzel Dumfries: From Childhood Dreamer to Two-Time Champions League Finalist | OneFootball

For Denzel Dumfries, every step of his career has been part of a quest to prove his doubters wrong.

From an early age on the books of Dutch outfit Smitshoek, Dumfries knew football was more than a hobby. He proudly proclaimed that the magical game would become his life, vowing to do whatever it takes to become a professional football.

Those who heard Dumfries’s proclamation bluntly laughed in his face. They argued he was simply not good enough to turn pro and any dreams of success at any level were misguided.

Fast-forward to 2025 and Dumfries has the resumé to prove otherwise. A multi-time trophy winner with Inter and a regular with the Dutch national team, the right-back is bidding to immortalise himself in football’s history books by winning the Champions League, with Paris Saint-Germain the only side left standing in his way.

It’s an outcome which few predicted for Dumfries—not even himself.

“It was always tough when they were laughing when I said it,” Dumfries tells Sports Illustrated.

“To be honest, I never thought I would reach this far [for] this long. I’ve already played at this level for a very long time now. It’s not something I was expecting when I was younger. I knew I would be a professional football player, I knew I would do some great things but, to be honest, I never thought I would be capable of playing so many big games, so many games for this beautiful club.”

Dumfries dazzled against Barcelona. / IMAGO/Sportimage

Inter have established themselves a real force under Simone Inzaghi, but there was a time earlier this season where it looked as though reaching a European final may not be possible. The end of April brought a stuttering run of three consecutive defeats and a hamstring injury which kept Dumfries on the sidelines for around a month.

Dumfries made his return on April 27, coming off the bench in a failed attempt to prevent a 1–0 defeat to Roma. A trip to Barcelona, one of the pre-tournament favourites, for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final was coming three days later. Optimism among supporters was hardly at its highest.

What followed was a remarkable 3–3 draw and a star performance from Dumfries, who set up Marcus Thuram’s early opener before scoring two of his own. It felt like something had shifted inside the Dutchman.

“I was injured before,” Dumfries reflects on arguably the best individual performance of his career. “It was very difficult for me to watch my teammates play, and also to lose three [games] in a row.

”It was a very difficult period for me and I was ready to play, I was very hungry to show and to help my teammates to win the game.”

Raphinha proved an admirable foe for Dumfries in the semifinal. Waiting for him in the final will be a familiar face in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian superstar who left his mark on Italian football during a glittering spell with Napoli.

Dumfries takes on Kvaratskhelia once again. / IMAGO/Sportimage

This will not be the first time Dumfries and Kvaratskhelia will collide. The pair faced off five times during their shared time in Serie A, with the former Napoli trickster still awaiting his first goal against Dumfries.

Maintaining that streak in the final will not be an easy task for Dumfries, who accepts history goes out the window on occasions such as this.

“He is an amazing player,” Dumfries says. “Technical, fast, also strong. We‘ve faced each other five times, it‘s very difficult to play against him.

“The final is a game about that day, who is the best on that day? Who has the best day? Who will win the final? I have to put everything on the pitch to keep him from scoring. It‘s not easy, but I‘m looking forward to the duels with him.”

A modest Dumfries makes every effort to shrug off his success on an individual level. After the second leg against Barcelona, in which he contributed yet another two assists, he quickly dismissed suggestions he was making a late claim for the 2024–25 Ballon d’Or and instead focused those listening on Inter’s success as a collective.

“It’s not an objective for me,” he insists when asked if another excellent performance in the final could take him one step closer to individual glory. “I think that the Ballon d’Or is a typical prize for a player who is bringing something really special during a whole season. In my opinion, I have to do more for that. Way more!

“I’m a very realistic guy. Of course, it‘s nice to see your name on the list, but that’s not something I have my focus on. I focus on winning the Champions League final, that’s most important.”