Just two years ago, Huijsen was an unknown talent plying his trade for Juventus' Next Gen side. Fast-forward to today, and he has emerged as a vital cog in defense for both Real Madrid and Spain.
After struggling to make his mark in Juve's first team, Huijsen spent a couple of months out on loan at Roma, before departing Italy for England in 2024. Whilst he initially had to bide his time on the bench, the injury of Marcos Senesi would open the door for Huijsen to break into Bournemouth's starting line-up.
Huijsen soon emerged as one of the finest young defenders in the game alongside Ilya Zabarnyi. This attracted Spain's interest, which convinced him to switch from the Netherlands and represent them at the senior level.
It's why, with two matches remaining in the 2024/25 Premier League season, Real Madrid triggered Huijsen's £50 million release clause and signed him to a five-year deal. The rest, as they say, is history. After helping Spain come within inches of the UEFA Nations League title, Huijsen headed to the United States, where he was immediately entrusted with a starting spot under Xabi Alonso.
Dean Huijsen has strengthened the Real Madrid defense, and then some
Since then, Real Madrid have conceded 2+ goals in just two of their last nine matches. One of those came in the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal, with Serhou Guirassy scoring a last-second penalty for Borussia Dortmund after Huijsen's sending-off. The other came in the semifinal, where Real Madrid's defense struggled in Huijsen's absence and found themselves obliterated in a 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Huijsen has made amends for his red card with a number of convincing displays, delivering a Man of the Match display in their season opener, a 1-0 win vs. Osasuna. Xabi Alonso made a number of changes for their second match, with Antonio Rudiger and Dani Carvajal replacing Eder Militao and Trent Alexander-Arnold in defense, but he nevertheless persisted with Huijsen.
That decision certainly paid off, with Huijsen making 5 clearances, 4 tackles, and winning 6 out of 10 duels. He also showcased his quality in possession by completing 3 out of 4 long balls in a 3-0 win vs. Real Oviedo. However, the third league fixture would see Real's clean sheet streak come to an end, with Vedat Muriqi heading home from a corner kick to open the scoring for Mallorca.
Real did not quit, however, with Huijsen tracking a through ball from Alvaro Carreras and heading it across goal for Arda Guler to nod into an empty net. Just a few seconds later, Real hit on the counter, with Vinicius zooming from the center-circle to the box before smashing the second goal into the back of the net.
Whilst Mallorca pushed for an equalizer, Real held firm and secured a 2-1 win thanks in large part to Huijsen, who made 3 clearances and interceptions apiece, who completed 4 out of 6 long balls, and who came out on top in 5 out of 6 aerial duels. It was yet another reminder of why, at 20 years old, he's already considered one of the top defenders in Europe.
Last season, Real failed to win a single major trophy thanks in large part to an unstable defense which conceded a goal per league match. Whilst it's still early days, they've conceded just once in three matches, and as long as Huijsen continues to deliver at the back, Madridistas can rest assured that defense will no longer be their Achilles heel.
It's been said that attack wins games, but defense wins championships. Will that be the case for Real Madrid this season?