Huijsen Takes Real Madrid’s No. 4 Shirt: From Malaga Dreams to Football Legend

Real Madrid have confirmed their squad numbers for the 2026-27 season, and one change jumps straight off the page. The No. 4 shirt, a number soaked in history at the Bernabéu, now belongs to Huijsen.

Last year he was just another youngster in No. 24, fighting for minutes and recognition. This year, he walks into Valdebebas wearing a digit that carries the weight of club mythology.

For a boy from Malaga, it means even more.

A childhood dream stitched into the fabric

Huijsen didn’t hide what this moment represents. On social media, alongside a photo of his new shirt, he laid it all out: this isn’t just a number for him, it’s the culmination of a childhood obsession.

“It’s always been my dream to play for Real Madrid and wear the number 4,” he said, before naming the man who shaped that dream: Sergio Ramos. As a kid, he laced up Ramos’ SR4 boots, trying to move, tackle and dominate like the captain who defined an era for both Real Madrid and world football.

Before Ramos, there was Fernando Hierro. Another No. 4. Another icon. Another centre-back who combined authority with elegance. And crucially for Huijsen, another son of Malaga. That shared hometown turns this handover of the shirt into something more personal than a simple squad-list update.

For Huijsen, this isn’t just about following legends. It’s about tracing a line from the streets where he grew up to the most demanding stage in club football, wearing the same number as the men he once watched on television.

A decisive season on the horizon

The romance of the number arrives at a hard-nosed moment in his career. Inside the club, the 2026-27 campaign is being treated as a defining year for Huijsen.

His debut season in Madrid offered flashes of what he can be: composed on the ball, aggressive in duels, brave enough to step forward and take responsibility. But those glimpses came wrapped in inconsistency. Mistakes crept in, concentration slipped, and the price was steep. He eventually lost his place in Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad for the World Cup.

That kind of setback can bury a young defender at a club where the standards never dip. Instead, Huijsen finished the season strongly, rebuilt confidence, and then threw himself into a full pre-season under Jose Mourinho’s notoriously demanding regime.

The message from him is clear: the number is an honour, but it’s also a challenge.

“I know this number has a history filled with legends,” he said. “I hope to write my own story so that one day people will consider me worthy of having worn this shirt and this number. What I do know is that I will give everything every day, whether in training or in a match.”

That vow matters. At Real Madrid, numbers like 4 are not decorative. They are statements.

Alaba’s legacy and a dressing-room education

Huijsen also understands that the shirt’s story did not end with Ramos or Hierro. Before it became vacant, the No. 4 belonged to David Alaba, the Austrian defender whose versatility and authority helped steady Madrid through a period of transition.

Alaba has now decided to leave the club, but his impact on Huijsen lingers.

“After that, another great football legend, David Alaba, wore it, and I had the pleasure of sharing a dressing room with him,” Huijsen noted. He described Alaba as one of the best teammates and people he has met in the sport, someone whose work ethic and willingness to guide others stretched far beyond what the cameras captured on matchdays.

For a young centre-back, that kind of daily education is priceless: how to lead without shouting, how to read a game before it erupts, how to carry the pressure that comes with being the last line before the goalkeeper.

Huijsen made a point of publicly thanking the club, the president, the manager, his teammates and the fans, repeating that gratitude as if to underline how aware he is of the stage he’s on and the scrutiny that comes with it.

The weight of a number, the chance of a lifetime

At Real Madrid, some numbers become institutions. The No. 7. The No. 9. And at the back, the No. 4.

Huijsen now steps into that lineage with eyes wide open. He knows the history, he’s lived the fandom, he’s worn the boots of his idols and replayed their tackles in his head. Now comes the unforgiving part: turning sentiment into performance.

The club see this as a test of whether he can transform promise into permanence, whether the boy from Malaga can grow into a defender whose name sits comfortably alongside Ramos, Hierro and Alaba when people talk about that shirt.

The number is his. The story, from this season on, is entirely up to him.