Dean Huijsen: A Childhood Dream Realized with Real Madrid's No. 4
Dean Huijsen didn’t just get a new number. He walked into a legacy.
With the departures of long-serving figures like Dani Carvajal and David Alaba at the end of the 2025-26 season, Real Madrid’s dressing room changed shape. Among the ripple effects was a quiet but symbolic decision: the No. 4 shirt, vacant since Alaba’s exit, needed a new owner.
Real Madrid chose a 21-year-old centre-back who grew up dreaming of exactly this moment.
A childhood dream in white
When the club revealed their squad numbers, Dean Huijsen’s name appeared next to the No. 4. For most players, it’s a number. For him, it’s the fulfilment of a childhood obsession.
He went straight to social media to explain what it meant, tying the announcement to the figure who shaped his footballing imagination: Sergio Ramos.
"It was always my dream to play for Real Madrid and wear the number 4. When I was a kid, my biggest idol was Sergio Ramos, who wore the number 4 and was a true legend for Real Madrid and for world football," he wrote.
As a boy, Huijsen didn’t just watch Ramos. He tried to become him. He laced up the SR4 boots, copying the former captain’s swagger and steel as best he could.
"I still remember playing in his cleats, the SR4s, because I wanted to be just like him."
Now, he will literally follow in Ramos’ footsteps, stepping into the same shirt that defined an era of Madrid dominance.
The gesture did not go unnoticed. Ramos himself replied to Huijsen’s post with a simple, generous line: "I hope it brings you a lot of joy too."
The weight of No. 4
At Real Madrid, No. 4 is not a random digit stitched on a jersey. It is a lineage.
Before Ramos, Fernando Hierro turned it into a symbol of authority and leadership, anchoring the defence and dictating games with a presence that stretched far beyond his own penalty area. Huijsen made sure to acknowledge that history as well.
"Before him, another football legend, Fernando Hierro, wore that number for Real Madrid and for soccer worldwide, but it feels even more special to me because he's from Málaga, just like me," he wrote.
The connection is personal as much as it is historical: same province, same shirt, same expectation to dominate the heart of defence.
Then came Alaba, the modern all-rounder who brought composure, versatility and experience to the role. Huijsen shared a dressing room with him last season, watching at close range how a world-class defender carries that responsibility.
"Later, another great football legend wore it, and I had the pleasure of sharing the locker room with him. I want to thank the club, the president, the coach, the players, and all the fans of this great club."
This is not a number handed out lightly. At Madrid, No. 4 has come to mean leadership, character, and a certain defiant edge when the pressure rises. Huijsen knows it.
"I know this jersey number has a history filled with legends, and I hope I can write my own story—and that one day people will consider me worthy of having worn this jersey and this number.
"What I do know is that I'll give it my all every single day, whether it's in training or in a match."
Mourinho’s new pillar
For José Mourinho, the decision to give Huijsen that shirt is a statement as much as a reward. It signals trust.
The Spain international is expected to play a major role in Mourinho’s defensive structure this season. At 21, he has the profile the club craves: technically comfortable, physically imposing, and confident enough to embrace the spotlight that comes with such a symbolic number.
Real Madrid believe he has both the talent and the personality to do justice to the shirt. Now the number that once belonged to Hierro, Ramos and Alaba will be on the back of a young defender at the beginning of his story, not the end of it.
The history is already written. The question, starting in the 2026-27 campaign, is whether Dean Huijsen can carve out a chapter of his own.
