Dean Huijsen: Real Madrid's Rising Centre-Back Star

Real Madrid’s new season hasn’t even kicked off and Jose Mourinho already has a selection headache – the kind every coach secretly enjoys.

Six new signings have walked through the door this summer, competition has spiked in almost every line, and nowhere is the battle sharper than at the heart of defence. Ibrahima Konate has arrived to join Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao, yet the name forcing its way to the front of the conversation is Dean Huijsen.

Huijsen moves to the front of the queue

Inside Valdebebas, Huijsen has nudged himself to the top of the list to start as the main left-sided centre-back, as reported by MARCA. That’s not a sentimental choice or a pre-season whim. It’s a tactical one.

Among Real Madrid’s central defenders, Huijsen is the only one truly comfortable with both feet. The others are naturally right-sided. In a Mourinho team that demands clean progression from the back and aggressive shifts across the line, that detail matters.

And he has not just relied on his profile. He has backed it up with performances.

In the Teresa Herrera Trophy against Deportivo La Coruna, Huijsen finally got his first start under Mourinho. He didn’t just blend in. He bossed it. The Spaniard marshalled the backline with authority, racking up seven successful defensive actions and not losing a single duel. For a young defender trying to convince a demanding coach and an even more demanding fanbase, that kind of game changes the internal conversation.

It felt like a reminder – or a warning – that Huijsen has the tools to grow into an undisputed starter and a long-term pillar of Real Madrid’s defence.

The weight of the number four

If his performances hinted at growing status, his shirt number screamed it.

With David Alaba gone, the iconic number four was vacant. Huijsen stepped forward. At this club, that is not a casual decision. Sergio Ramos. Fernando Hierro. The number has been strapped to some of the most imposing leaders in Madrid’s history.

Huijsen hasn’t shied away from that shadow. He has leaned into it. On social media, he admitted it was always his dream to play for Real Madrid and wear the number four, revealing that Ramos was his childhood idol. It’s a choice loaded with symbolism: a young defender asking to be judged by the highest standard the position has known in the modern era.

For Mourinho, it offers something else – a hint of personality, of a player willing to assume responsibility in a dressing room full of established names.

The one cloud over a clear sky

There is, however, one problem that refuses to disappear.

Huijsen’s injury record remains the only serious obstacle between him and a permanent place in the XI. Physical issues disrupted his previous campaign and ultimately cost him a place in Spain’s World Cup squad. Just when he seemed ready to take the next step, his body pulled him back.

That concern has not vanished this summer. Last week, he trained alone for long stretches due to discomfort, a fresh reminder that his fitness is still the decisive question mark.

On form, profile and mentality, Huijsen has everything lined up: a coach who trusts him, a tactical niche only he fills, a legendary shirt on his back. If his body holds up, the path is clear.

If it doesn’t, Mourinho’s central-defence puzzle changes again – and Real Madrid’s would-be number four risks watching this season’s story unfold from the sidelines instead of writing it himself.