Absent from Spain’s list for the World Cup, Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen endorses his father’s criticism on the web

The technical committee of the Espanha selection established an unprecedented milestone in its sporting trajectory by releasing the official list of players called up for the Copa of the 2026 Mundo. The Luís coach of the Fuente chose to leave out the Dean Huijsen defender, a 21-year-old athlete who is part of the Real Madrid squad. The technical decision confirmed that the national team will compete in the global tournament without having any player from the Madrid club in its delegation for the first time in the history of the competition.

The development of the call generated immediate reactions in the digital environment throughout this Monday. The young defender used his official profiles to share an ironic message prepared by his father, Don Huijsen. The publication occurred minutes after the local federation confirmed the selected names, gaining wide repercussion among Spanish fans and sports analysts on the internet. The athlete simply replicated the content, without adding text comments.

Posicionamento on the social network after official announcement

Don Huijsen’s original demonstration used statistical data to question the criteria adopted by the technical committee. The publication displayed the ideal lineup for Campeonato Espanhol, formulated by the specialized portal Sofascore. The performance analysis vehicle positioned the Real Madrid defender among the main highlights of the national competition. The player’s father took advantage of the promotional image to record an observation about his son’s performance.

The text accompanying the statistical selection contained the phrase “First season. Nada bad”, written by Don Huijsen. The message acted as a direct counterpoint to Mundo’s exclusion of the athlete from the final list for Copa. Dean Huijsen had arrived at the team from the Spanish capital the previous year and found space in the defensive rotation. The defender’s sharing of the post endorsed the family’s dissatisfaction with the choice of the national team commander.

The player’s attitude on digital platforms fueled debates in the Madri sports press about the selection’s evaluation parameters. Profissionais from the local media highlighted the divergence between the numbers presented by the athlete on the field and the coach’s preference. The defender had the expectation of filling one of the vacancies in the defensive sector, based on his regularity throughout the rounds of the tournament with running points.

Plataforma data highlights Barcelona advocates

The Sofascore evaluation system consolidated the athletes’ average scores during the 38 rounds of the Espanha national championship. The portal’s methodology considered tackles, interceptions, successful passes and aerial duels won to form the ideal rearguard of the season. The defensive sector chosen by the platform had three central defenders. The other two names that accompanied the Real Madrid athlete on the statistical list were called Luís de la Fuente.

The line of defense identified by the data survey presented the following formation:

• Dean Huijsen, defender signed by Real Madrid in the last transfer window
• Pau Cubarsí, defender trained in the youth categories of Barcelona
• Eric García, athlete who also makes up Barcelona’s defensive system

The two representatives of the Catalan club secured their respective places to compete in the 2026 world team tournament. The presence of the Barcelona duo in the official squad highlighted the contrast with the absence of the merengue player. The technical committee prioritized defenders with specific ball-playing characteristics and previous integration in the selection’s youth categories, criteria that ended up favoring athletes from the rival team.

Fim from a historic tradition in the selection of Espanha

The choice of coach Luís from Fuente interrupted a constant that had accompanied the selection of Espanha since the first editions of Copa of Mundo. Real Madrid has always provided players for the national squad in the tournament, acting as a solid base for team formation. The current scenario highlights a drastic change in the distribution of forces and the origin of the athletes called up to represent the country in the main football competition.

Dean Huijsen represented the last real possibility of maintaining the Madrid club’s tradition on the official list. The other Spanish players who make up the squad led by coach Carlo Ancelotti faced obstacles throughout the year. Problemas recurring physicals and the loss of space in the main rotations removed other names from the national technical committee’s radar. The exclusion of the young defender definitively consolidated the unprecedented statistical feat.

The absence of Real Madrid representatives also reflects the club’s recent hiring policy, focused on international talents. The current squad has a reduced number of Spanish athletes capable of competing for the starting line-up. Essa’s internal configuration limited the selection coach’s options, who had to look for alternatives in other teams in the country and in foreign leagues to make up the group of 26 players.

Preparação for the European tournament and calendar

The Espanha delegation now begins the period of concentration focused on the debut of the global sports competition. Defenders Pau Cubarsí and Eric García must actively participate in tactical training to seek space in the starting team. The coaching staff plans to use preparatory friendlies to adjust the defensive system and define the main defense pairing. The group travels next week to the tournament headquarters, where they will undergo final acclimatization.

Defender Dean Huijsen will follow a different schedule during the Copa contest period than Mundo. The athlete will spend the next few weeks resting, taking advantage of the break in the European calendar. Após holidays, the defender will return to the Real Madrid facilities to begin pre-season work under the command of Carlo Ancelotti. The club’s planning foresees a series of physical assessments before the first preparatory friendlies.

The board of directors of the Madrid club monitors the situation of its uncapped athletes to optimize their physical recovery time. The medical department has established individual exercise booklets for the period of official inactivity. The technical committee’s expectation is to have a complete and rested squad for the resumption of national and continental competitions in the second half of the year.