Dean Huijsen was born in Amsterdam and moved to Spain as a child, joining Málaga’s academy. He then joined Juventus’s youth system and made his first-team debut in 2023.
After a loan at Roma, Bournemouth signed him in 2024, and he became one of the Premier League’s most promising young centre-backs. Real Madrid signed him in 2025.
Huijsen represents Spain after playing for the Netherlands at youth level.
Playing style
Huijsen is a tall, ball-playing centre-back with an excellent passing range. He is comfortable carrying the ball into midfield and composed under pressure, able to play long diagonal passes that switch the play. Defensively he is strong in the air and reads the game well. At Bournemouth he quickly established himself as a regular despite his age, and his performances persuaded Real Madrid to sign him. He is seen as one of the best young defenders in Europe.
International career
Huijsen chose to represent Spain after playing for the Netherlands at youth level. He made his Spain debut in 2025 and quickly became part of the national team setup.
Career in numbers
Huijsen’s senior club career, which began in 2022/23, has so far brought 133 appearances and 10 goals for 5 clubs. His most productive season in front of goal was 2024/25, when he scored 3 times in 41 games for Bournemouth and Real Madrid. So far in 2026/27 he has made 7 appearances for Real Madrid. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.