Dean Huijsen is the most expensive centre-back in Real Madrid history.

His £50million ($68m; €58m at current exchange rates) transfer from Bournemouth in May 2025 surpassed the €50m they spent on Eder Militao in 2019.

Then, this summer, following David Alaba’s exit as a free agent, Huijsen inherited the No 4 shirt once worn by his idol Sergio Ramos, which he had quietly coveted since his arrival.

But we have yet to see the best of Huijsen at the Bernabeu — which is why the 21-year-old may even be a breakout star this year.

Huijsen was caught up in their difficult 2025-26 campaign after making a strong start at the Club World Cup in the United States. At first, his possession-oriented game seemed a perfect fit for new coach Xabi Alonso’s style.

But a 5-2 defeat in the first derby of the season against Atletico Madrid in September exposed his inexperience. Militao’s absence with a muscular injury and then a muscle tear that kept him out until late March did not help either, as Huijsen looked more comfortable playing alongside the Brazilian.

Dean Huijsen was criticised for some of his performances last season (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Huijsen had his own bad luck when it came to injuries and, by La Liga’s winter break, had suffered three thigh injuries practically back-to-back.

Those close to Huijsen — who, like many people cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — said that was because he felt the effects of an intense year packed with matches.

He dropped out of the starting XI and appeared to lose confidence. Passes he had previously got right were misplaced, while he suffered more defensive lapses than usual.

Alonso’s abrupt sacking in January and Alvaro Arbeloa’s arrival did not help, as Madrid’s season descended into chaos. After the 4-2 defeat to Benfica in the final Champions League league-phase game in January, Huijsen was one of the players booed in the following game at home against Rayo Vallecano.

“It is the demands of the Bernabeu,” Huijsen told reporters afterwards. “In a way, that is a good thing because it reflects what Madridistas (Real Madrid fans) expect. They believe in me and know I can give more. Every footballer goes through dips in form, and the injuries did not help either.”

Huijsen recovered from the dip, helping keep Erling Haaland quiet as Real Madrid won 5-1 on aggregate in their Champions League round-of-16 tie against Manchester City. However, in the quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich, he did not feature at all as Madrid crashed out.

People close to Huijsen saw that as a key moment that could have helped define his season in a positive way. Instead, it hurt his chances of going to the World Cup with Spain.

Although he made a strong early impression on national team manager Luis de la Fuente after switching allegiances from the Netherlands, he lost his place after those repeated injury absences. Madrid’s poor season affected his perception within the national team and De la Fuente ultimately opted to include Atletico’s Marc Pubill instead.

Those close to Huijsen were hurt by what they perceived as unfair criticism. They defended his overall performance across the season. After the Spain squad announcement, Huijsen’s Instagram account reposted an unofficial best La Liga XI of the season that featured him and had first been shared by his father, Donny.

Dean Huijsen was left out of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad (David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images)

“I don’t have social media,” De la Fuente said in an interview with Sport before the World Cup. “I have no idea whether he said it. I understand that the player, as well as other team-mates who are not there (in the squad), may have felt hurt. But did he say it? In any case, it is not important. He is very young and is in that process of learning.”

Huijsen also tried to play down any controversy as Spain began a campaign that ended with their second World Cup title. “Many congratulations to my team-mates who will be attending the World Cup,” he wrote on social media after the squad was announced. “I will be supporting them from home like any other Spaniard.”

His absence from the tournament allowed him to rest and complete an individual training programme in Marbella — the southern Spanish town where he grew up — before Madrid’s pre-season began, giving him the chance to arrive back in the best possible shape.

Jose Mourinho’s appointment as head coach could be another boost for Huijsen. Mourinho played a key role in the defender signing for Roma on loan in January 2024 — a spell that propelled him to the Premier League — and has shown significant faith in him in pre-season.

Dean Huijsen playing against Hellas Verona in January 2024, when Jose Mourinho was in charge of Roma (Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Mourinho’s coaching staff, with whom Huijsen has always maintained a good relationship, have been pleased with his pre-season performances — which featured a fine headed goal from a corner in their final friendly against Schalke on Sunday. Mourinho has been in close contact with him this summer.

Antonio Rudiger has extended his contract for another year, but Huijsen is in line to start the season alongside summer signing Ibrahima Konate. Huijsen and Konate produced some encouraging signs in the first half against Schalke, the first match they had both started at centre-back.

Huijsen’s qualities have never really been in question. But The Athletic reported last October that he was asked to improve his concentration after several high-profile errors, and he has some growing left to do. Perhaps Mourinho can produce another turning point in his career.

For now, Huijsen seems well placed to make an impact. Perhaps this can be the season he fully establishes himself.