Real Madrid bounced back in the Club World Cup with a commanding 3-1 victory over Pachuca, a result made more impressive after going down to 10 men inside the opening ten minutes. Despite the early red card to Raúl Asencio, Madrid showed resilience and quality — none more so than from young defender Dean Huijsen.
The 20-year-old centre-back, a recent €59.3m signing from Bournemouth, was at the heart of everything for Los Blancos. With Real forced to defend for long spells, Huijsen stood tall, delivering a near-flawless performance that’s already earning comparisons to Madrid’s greats.
His reading of the game, strength in tackles, and composure on the ball helped Real manage the numerical disadvantage. Spanish pundits were quick to shower praise, with AS giving him a 9/10 match rating and analyst Tomás Roncero calling him the “signing of the century” in defence.
Beyond just solid defending, Huijsen contributed to Madrid’s build-up play and launched the move that led to their third goal — threading a pass into Vinicius Jr., who helped set up Federico Valverde’s finish from Brahim Díaz’s cross.
The statistics underline Huijsen’s dominance: 95 minutes played, 97 touches, 7 clearances, 3 tackles, 0 times dribbled past, and a 93% pass completion rate. His poise under pressure, as seen during his Spain debut in Rotterdam, seems to follow him in every appearance.
Huijsen’s emergence has filled a defensive void for Madrid. While Tchouameni filled in at centre-back during recent games, it’s Huijsen who now looks undroppable. Journalist Sergio López even dubbed him the “centre-back of the future,” suggesting the lineup will soon read, “Dean Huijsen — and ten others.”
As Madrid prepare to face RB Salzburg on Thursday, Huijsen’s rise will be crucial if they are to continue their push for Club World Cup glory. For now, the youngster looks firmly on course to become a new defensive cornerstone at the Bernabéu.