The 18-year-old defender Dean Huijsenselectable from this Wednesday by Spain having obtained nationality, was raised in Marbellawas formed in the quarry of Málaga CF and is currently considered one of the most promising young people in European football thanks to his performances in the Roma Italian.
Huijsen, nacido and Amsterdamalthough he lived between the ages of 5 and 16 on the Costa del Sol in Malaga, can be selected and be part of Spain’s next call from the lower categories, after having received Spanish nationality by letter of nature, as published this Wednesday the Official State Gazette (BOE).
The young central defender, who plays in the Juventus on loan from Roma, he was born in the Dutch capital on April 14, 2005, but his parents moved their residence to Marbella when he was 5 years old and it was on the Costa del Sol where he took the first steps of his sporting career before reaching the elite.
Málaga CF caught his talent and signed him for their youth team, where he remained between the ages of 10 and 16. He became captain in the youth ranks of the Malaga club and a regular in the Andalusian team.
Great progression
Dean Huijsen maintains that link with Málaga and, in fact, last November he was at the La Rosaleda stadium watching a game of the blue and white team in the First Federation.
His progression and his physical and technical conditions attracted the attention of several big clubs in Europe, but it was Juventus that opted for Huijsen. The Turin club paid around 200,000 euros plus variables to Málaga for his signing and convinced Dean to embark on a journey in 2021 that was going to change his life.
That was at cadet age, 16 years old. Two later, Huijsen had already made his debut in the first team in an official match, in a Milan-Juventus match at the San Siro stadium, and at his debut he received words of praise from the Italian coach Massimiliano Allegri.
“He has played with the serenity of a 30-year-old footballer. He has special abilities and can become a great player,” the ‘Vecchia Signora’ coach stressed then.
To provide him with more continuity, ‘Juve’ decided to transfer him to Roma this past January, a move at the express request of Portuguese coach José Mourinho, who praised the Spanish-Dutch player and assured that “he is one of the highest quality projects in European football to date.” this age level” and “he will be a great footballer in the future”.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Manchester United and Tottenham are some of the clubs that have explored his signing in the past and currently, but Huijsen renewed with Juventus until 2027 and is taking advantage in Rome of the ownership that he also maintains with Danielle De Rossi, Romanista legend and Mourinho’s replacement on the bench.
meteoric explosion
In fact, Dean has recently experienced his peak moment as a professional footballer, scoring a beautifully crafted goal in the 3-0 victory over Frosinone in Serie A with a shot from outside the area, after advancing several meters while driving from the defense, beating rivals as if he were playing as a libero.
The young man raised in Malaga is compared to the Dutch international center back Matthijs de Ligt, although physically he is very different, as Huijsen is tall and lanky (he measures 1.95 metres), he handles both legs, he has a lot of class and, above all, great maturity, mentality and intelligence.
He speaks Spanish and Italian fluently and in some appearances in the club’s official media or for Italian media, his ability to express himself without fear and with personality is appreciated. As a curiosity, he is the son of former Dutch soccer player Donny Huijsen, a forward who came to play in the First Division in the 1990s in the Netherlands.
Dean Huijsen has played nine official matches this season with the Roman team, eight in the league and one in the Cup, in which he has scored two goals, against Cagliari and the last one against Frosinone. After this announcement, he may be called up by the Spanish national team despite having played matches with the lower categories of the Netherlands.