Huijsen Takes Over Real Madrid's Iconic No. 4 Shirt
At Real Madrid, some numbers are just fabric and ink. The No. 4 is not one of them.
For the 2026-27 season, the club have confirmed a change that carries real weight: Huijsen, who wore 24 last year, will now pull on the iconic 4. It is a shirt soaked in history, heavy with expectation, and for a defender born in Malaga, it represents far more than a simple switch on the squad list.
For Huijsen, this is the moment he has chased since childhood.
He grew up idolising Sergio Ramos, the captain who turned the No. 4 into a symbol of defiance and dominance at the Bernabéu, and before him Fernando Hierro, another towering figure of Madrid’s back line and, crucially, a fellow son of Malaga. Now, the same digit that once belonged to those idols will be stitched onto his back.
On social media, the defender did not hide what it means to him. He shared a photo of his new shirt and laid bare the emotion behind it, calling it his dream to play for Real Madrid and wear the number Ramos made famous, a number he associates with a “true legend for Real Madrid and world football.” He recalled playing as a boy in SR4 boots, trying to mimic his hero. He also pointed to Hierro, the Malaga-born great who wore the same shirt and deepened that personal connection.
This is not just a cosmetic upgrade. Inside Valdebebas, the 2026-27 campaign is being framed as a defining season for Huijsen.
His debut year in the capital brought flashes of what he can become: confident on the ball, aggressive in the duel, capable of stepping out from the back with authority. But those glimpses were interrupted by dips in form. Consistency deserted him at key moments, and the consequence was brutal at international level: he lost his place in Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad for the World Cup.
The response has been to reset. He finished last season strongly, hinting at a defender regaining his rhythm, and he has now gone through a full pre-season under Jose Mourinho’s demanding eye. Mourinho’s training ground is not a gentle environment; it is designed to test mentality as much as technique. For a young centre-back stepping into a historic shirt, that may be exactly what he needs.
Huijsen knows the weight of what he is taking on. In his message, he thanked the club, the president, the manager, his teammates and the fans, and spoke openly about the history wrapped around that number. He wants, as he put it, to write his own story in it, to reach a point where people look back and judge him worthy of having worn that shirt. He promised something simple and non-negotiable: he will give everything, every day, in training and in matches.
The No. 4 at Madrid is not just a relic from the Ramos and Hierro eras, though. Its most recent guardian, David Alaba, bridged that past with the present. The Austrian’s decision to leave the club opened the door for a new owner, but his influence lingers in the dressing room.
Huijsen made a point of highlighting that. He described Alaba as one of the best teammates and people he has met in the sport, a player whose work ethic, experience and leadership set the standard behind closed doors. The young defender spoke of the “pleasure” of sharing a dressing room with him and again expressed his gratitude to the club hierarchy, staff, players and supporters.
The baton has now been passed. From Hierro to Ramos to Alaba, and on to a 20-something defender from Malaga who grew up dreaming of this exact moment.
The shirt is his. The history is not. That part, starting this season, he has to earn.
