Jose Mourinho forced Dean Huijsen to mature into Real Madrid's cleanest rock
Real Madrid fans have always known that Dean Huijsen is a very, very talented player. That is why they signed him from Bournemouth for a huge amount of money in 2025, and it seems like now the player is finally paying the dividends. It's a very good start to his time at the club.
He had a really bad slump that started right after the loss against Atletico Madrid early into the season last time around. Since then, Huijsen has obviously matured as a football player, and he looks much, much better than he did last season.
Real Madrid fans were worried about the same thing happening after the loss against Atletico this season, but it is fair to say that Huijsen has improved both as a football player and mentally, for that not to be repeated yet again.
Dean Huijsen has matured tremendously under Jose Mourinho
The player has been on a very good run of form, and the club has taken note of that, according to a report from AS. The report says that the player's maturity is evident on the pitch. Even though the process of maturation has not finished, he is actively keen on changing it and working on it to improve as a football player.
His gestures, his attitude, the little details, everything is visible, and all of it is pointing towards the same thing: Huijsen is improving as a football player from a mental standpoint, and that is helping him improve from a footballing standpoint.
According to the report, Mourinho initially had doubts about Huijsen, but after the first few days of the preseason, the player's mentality changed, and he started demanding more from himself. It is said that the coach's standards for the player have obviously contributed to the level of maturity that he has shown in these last few months. It is a brilliant transformation to watch.
Real Madrid have needed a player like him in the centre-back department to be able to just play at a high level on a consistent basis. Huijsen is finally doing that, and that is what Real Madrid needed from him the most.
He's also become a very clean centre-back. He did not commit a single foul against Barcelona, and he repeated that against Espanyol, Sevilla, and Real Sociedad earlier in the season, which is huge for a centre-back. It is like a midfielder not misplacing a single pass, although that is objectively more difficult.
Huijsen is slowly improving as a football player. Even though there are things that he still needs to adapt to, it is fair to say that Real Madrid are finally getting their money's worth for the Spanish international. He's always been one of the most sought-after centre-backs in all of Europe, and it seems like, finally, the player is reaching a level of maturity that everyone wanted and expected him to get to.
The only question is whether he would be able to sustain that for the foreseeable future or if he'd have a dip. Once again, like he used to, the evidence points towards the former, which is a very good thing.
