1. Overview
Dean Donny Huijsen Wijsmuller (born April 14, 2005) is a professional footballer who primarily plays as a centre-back. Born in the Netherlands, he later acquired Spainish citizenship and represents Spain at the under-21 youth international level. He began his youth career in Spain before joining Juventus's academy, where he made his professional debut with their reserve team, Juventus Next Gen, in January 2023, followed by his Serie A debut with the first team in October of the same year. After a loan spell at Roma, Huijsen transferred to Premier League club Bournemouth in July 2024.
2. Early life and background
Dean Huijsen was born on April 14, 2005, in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands. His parents are Mascha Wijsmuller and Donny Huijsen. When he was five years old, his family relocated to Marbella, Andalusia, Spain. He became a Spanish citizen in February 2024, which also made him eligible to be called up by the Spanish national team.
3. Club career
Dean Huijsen's club career began with youth development in Spain before progressing through the ranks at Juventus and making his mark in senior football, including a loan spell at Roma and a transfer to Bournemouth.
3.1. Youth career
Huijsen started playing football with Costa Unida CF in Marbella. In 2015, at the age of 10, he joined Málaga's youth set-up, where he developed for six years. By 2021, his talent had attracted attention from various European clubs, including Real Madrid, but he ultimately chose to join Juventus. In his first season with Juventus, playing for the under-17 team, he scored seven goals. The following season, he was promoted to the U19 level, where he continued to impress, netting six goals in 14 matches across all competitions between August and November 2022. He also featured in two first-team friendlies for Juventus against Standard Liège and Rijeka in December of the same year.
3.2. Juventus
In early January 2023, Huijsen was promoted to Juventus Next Gen, the reserve team of Juventus. He made his professional debut for Juventus Next Gen on January 8, 2023, starting in a Serie C league match against Pordenone, which ended in a 2-1 defeat. During this debut, he received a yellow card in the seventh minute and scored a goal in the 50th minute, which was subsequently disallowed for offside.
On February 15, Huijsen scored his first professional goals, netting a brace in the second leg of a Coppa Italia Serie C semi-final match against Foggia. Juventus Next Gen won the game 2-1 (3-3 on aggregate) after 90 minutes and ultimately secured victory in the tie via a penalty shootout. His three appearances and two goals in the 'Other' column of his career statistics are attributed to his participation in the Coppa Italia Serie C. On April 2, he also scored his first goal in Serie C in a match against Feralpisalò, contributing to a 1-0 loss for Juventus Next Gen with a tap-in following a shot from Nikola Sekulov.
In June 2023, Huijsen renewed his contract with Juventus, extending it until 2027. During the 2022-23 season, he had made 40 official appearances and scored 10 goals across both the Juventus U19 and Next Gen teams. On October 22, he made his Serie A debut, entering the field as a substitute for Federico Gatti in the 78th minute of an away match against AC Milan, which Juventus won 1-0. On November 7, Juventus officially announced that Huijsen, alongside his Next Gen teammate Kenan Yıldız, had been promoted to the first team.
3.2.1. Loan to Roma
On January 6, 2024, Huijsen was loaned to fellow Italian side Roma for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, having reportedly declined interest from Frosinone. He made his debut for the Giallorossi the very next day, playing the entire second half in a home league draw against Atalanta.
Huijsen scored his first Serie A goal for Roma on February 5, contributing to a 4-0 victory against Cagliari. On February 18, he scored the opening goal in an away match against Frosinone. This goal came after he carried the ball from defense, evaded several opponents, and struck from outside the penalty area. During his celebration, Huijsen engaged in a provocative manner towards the opposing Frosinone fans, who had been whistling him, leading to an immediate yellow card from the referee and his substitution by head coach Daniele De Rossi during the half-time break.
3.3. AFC Bournemouth
On July 30, 2024, Huijsen completed a permanent transfer from Juventus to Premier League club Bournemouth, signing a six-year deal. The initial transfer fee was 15.20 M EUR, with potential add-ons that could raise the total to 18.20 M EUR. On December 5, 2024, he scored his first goal for Bournemouth, heading in the decisive goal in a 1-0 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
4. International career
Dean Huijsen has represented the Netherlands at various youth international levels, including the under-16, under-17, and under-18 national teams.
In May 2022, Huijsen was included in the Dutch under-17 squad that participated in the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship held in Israel. During the tournament, he successfully converted two penalties in the group stage matches against France and Poland. The Netherlands team ultimately finished as runners-up in the competition, losing to France in the final.
On March 15, 2024, Huijsen received a call-up to the Spain national under-21 team to play in the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group B match against Belgium, which took place eleven days later.
5. Personal aspects
Dean Huijsen was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, but his family moved to Marbella, Spain, when he was five years old. He obtained Spanish citizenship in February 2024. He is proficient in multiple languages, including Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and English. His father, Donny Huijsen, was also a professional footballer who played for Jong Ajax and had a career in the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie in the 1990s.
6. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Juventus Next Gen | 2022-23 | Serie C | 16 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 19 | 3 | ||
| 2023-24 | Serie C | 11 | 0 | - | - | - | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 27 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 30 | 3 | ||||
| Juventus | 2023-24 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Roma (loan) | 2023-24 | Serie A | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| Bournemouth | 2024-25 | Premier League | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 24 | 2 | |
| Career total | 62 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 69 | 7 | ||
7. Honours
Netherlands U17
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship runners-up: 2022