When Spanish defender Dean Huijsen signed for Bournemouth in the summer of 2024, he was just 19 years old. The fee—12.8 million pounds paid to Juventus—might sound modest by Premier League standards, where hundreds of millions are spent each window. But his first season in England? Anything but modest.

Since arriving, Huijsen has made a name for himself and sports betting fans can bet on him. Almost immediately, his name was linked with numerous top clubs. Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Tottenham, and giants beyond England like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.

Born in Amsterdam in 2005, Dean is the son of Donny Huijsen, a former professional who played in the Dutch top leagues. In 2010, the family relocated to Spain, where Dean began to shine in Málaga’s academy. In 2021, he joined Juventus, worked through the youth ranks, and made his senior debut in 2023. A five-month loan to Roma opened the door to top-level football—and Bournemouth acted quickly to sign the rising star.

He represented the Netherlands youth teams up to under-19 level but received Spanish citizenship in 2024. In 2025, he debuted for Spain’s senior national team—ironically against the Netherlands, at De Kuip in Rotterdam.

Coach Andoni Iraola gave him a platform at Bournemouth, and Huijsen delivered standout performances. “My dad is my agent,” he explained regarding transfer rumors. “He handles everything. I don’t read any of it. I just focus on my football.”

Defensive Attributes

Huijsen is an aggressive, tall (1.97m), right-footed center back who is comfortable playing on either side of a central pairing. He likes stepping out of the defensive line to challenge attackers or attempt interceptions high up the pitch. He has good timing, strong game understanding, and is not afraid to engage physically with opposing midfielders.

His goal is to disrupt the opponent’s reception of the ball, preventing them from turning or receiving it facing the goal. Instead, he forces them to receive with their back to goal—a position that limits attacking options. This proactive style requires backup from mobile fullbacks and midfielders who can recover loose balls. Trust Alonso to bring this modern, aggressive tactical edge to Real Madrid.

Huijsen follows his marker deep into the field rather than passing off responsibility. In aerial duels, he excels, often challenging even the most physical strikers. Though lean, his frame is deceptive—he is strong and unafraid of contact. If he loses the initial duel, it can expose gaps behind, but in a three-center-back setup, Madrid would have cover for his proactive movements. As a pressure-leading defender, he sometimes struggles to recover quickly, especially when dribbled past, which is something he will need to improve over time.

On the Ball

Huijsen is comfortable on both feet. He likes to drive forward and launch long, arching passes, often over the top of the defense. While accurate, he still needs to add ground-breaking passes to his toolkit, especially against deep defensive blocks.

He often drives forward at pace, but that can hinder decision-making. Slowing down slightly could help him make better choices. Alonso will need to teach Huijsen how to control the tempo—something the coach excelled at during his own playing days. Against compact defenses, Huijsen will need to find sharper solutions rather than relying on long balls.

Anchor in Bournemouth’s Defense

Despite being right-footed, Huijsen played almost exclusively as the left center back in a four-man defense this season. He paired with Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi, just two years older—and together, they formed one of the league’s top duos.

Iraola’s Bournemouth posted the highest number of defensive duels per game in the league (72.4), and Huijsen was a key contributor—with a success rate of 74.3 percent (the best in the team among players with 50 or more duels) and 5.26 interceptions per match, third best in the squad.

The center backs supported a high press, closing central spaces and enabling midfielders to step up. Huijsen pressed, intercepted, and midfielders like Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie reacted to win second balls and launch counters.

When defending deep, the center backs stayed close to limit exposure to pace. Bournemouth’s fullbacks pushed high, requiring the central defenders and holding midfielders to cover critical space—and Huijsen did this well.

Bottom Line

Bournemouth gave Dean Huijsen the platform—and he delivered big time. In his first Premier League season, he became one of Europe’s most exciting young defenders.

If he improves in a few specific areas at Real Madrid, like ground-based progression—a key in Alonso’s system—and recovery tracking during transitions, he has the potential to become one of the best center backs in Europe in the coming years.

Roberto Carlos Ex-Wife Mariana Luccon Wiki 2025- Age, Net Worth, Career, Kids, Family and more

Mariana Luccon is famous for being the ex-wife of Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos

Mariana has a fun personality and an optimistic approach to life. She has been loyal to Roberto Carlos for many years. Apart from being a responsible wife, she is also a caring mother. Despite having major stardom, the Brazilian beauty has always favoured peaceful family time, hence she rarely indulges herself in any media appearances.

That’s why many fans don’t know much about her lifestyle. This article will probably have all the answers to your questions. Roberto Carlos is considered one of the greatest full-backs of all time. In his prime, strikers dared to cross paths with him and opponent defenders feared his ruthless runs down the flank. He was a part of the Real Madrid ‘Galacticos’ team.

He has also played with Inter Milan, Corinthians, Fenerbahce. He was massively famous at his peak time. But many fans don’t know that his wife has an equally exciting life. So follow along to know more about the stunning wife of Roberto Carlos.                                                                                                         

Mariana Luccon Facts & Wiki

Birthday	June 18
Place of Birth	Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Residency	N.A
Partner	Roberto Carlos
Job	Actress
Instagram	@mari18freitas
Height	5 ft 5 in (167 cm)
Weight	55 kg (121 lbs)
Tattoos	No
Smoking	N.A
Sister / Brother	N.A
Father & Mother	N.A
Religion	N.A
Hair Colour	Brown
Eye Colour	Brown
Net Worth (approx.)	N.A

Mariana Luccon Childhood and Family 

Mariana was born on June 18 in Brazil, making her Brazilian nationality. As said earlier, she is the kind of person who avoided the media her whole life. She was searching for the love of her life, and when she found Roberto Carlos and formed a family, nothing in the world mattered more to her than spending time with her loved ones.

That’s why there is very little to no information available about her childhood. We currently don’t know who her father and mother are and their jobs. Whether she has any siblings is still under review. We believe her parents did an excellent job raising her; the ethics and morale that they taught reflect Mariana’s characteristics.

We are looking for more details about her family and childhood. So stay tuned to know more about the stunning wife of Roberto Carlos.                                                           

Mariana Luccon Education

Mariana went to a local high school in Brazil. Being a studious and hard-working student, she excelled in her studies. As she hasn’t shared much about her educational journey, we are unsure whether she went for further education after that.                                   

Mariana Luccon career 

Mariana hasn’t revealed anything about her current role. She keeps her Instagram profile private, so we didn’t have any luck finding information there either. However, the information we have strongly suggests that she is a full-time housewife.

She has been a mother for a very long time. As she enjoys hanging with her children and husband at home, she took the role of taking good care of her family. Many think there is no difficulty in being a housewife. Well, the truth is it can be very frustrating and stressful at times.

But the rewards are equally more significant. Spending a reasonable amount of time with children and teaching them good values from an early age ensures that the children maintain a good character when they get old. Mariana is also an excellent wife. She has supported Carlos in every move. The Brazilian footballer dealt with many failures during his playing career, and Mariana ensured that he retained a better mood when he got home.                               

Mariana Luccon Net Worth 

Mariana’s net worth is currently under review. She hasn’t disclosed her earnings. We don’t know anything about her current or past roles, so we have no idea of her total worth.

But that doesn’t indicate her lifestyle. Mariana’s husband, Roberto Carlos, accumulated a considerable amount of money during his playing time. So his high bank balance ensures a luxurious life for his family.                                       

Mariana Luccon and Roberto Carlos relationship

Roberto Carlos and Mariana were long-term love birds. The duo never shared how their love story started. But as Carlos was one of the famous Brazilian footballers at that time, we believe it wasn’t pretty difficult for Mariana to find the love of her life.

The duo was pretty impressed with each other’s characteristics, and they decided to take the relationship forward after their first meeting. As they started meeting more and more, they realized that they were madly in love. After several years of dating, the pair finally tied the knot in 2009 at a grand wedding ceremony that was organized in São Paulo, Brazil.

Despite having a solid bond with Mariana, Roberto Carlos couldn’t stay loyal to one woman. During his peak years, he dated several girls. He has a total of 11 children from seven different relationships. However, Mariana forgave the Brazilian every time.                                                                

But in early 2025, the couple divorced, after nearly 16 years of marriage. However, it is being said that it could be complicated due to dispute of Carlos’ massive $160 million plus fortune.

Mariana Luccon and Roberto Carlos Children  

The duo has two beautiful children together. Their first daughter, Manuela da Silva Rocha was born in March 2010. Mariana gave birth to their second daughter, Nina da Silva Rocha in July 2017. However, these are not the only children that Carlos has. He has another nine children from other relationships. He even became a grandfather when his daughter, Giovanna da Silva Rocha, welcomed a son.   

Mariana Luccon Social media 

Mariana is not a social media person. Even though she has an Instagram account, she has kept it private. She always maintained a low-key lifestyle and never got around the idea of sharing images of private moments.                    

FAQs about Mariana Luccon

When did Mariana Luccon and Roberto Carlos get married?

They got married in 2009.

What is Mariana Luccon doing now?

She is a housewife.

How old is Mariana Luccon?

It is not currently known.

Nationality of Mariana Luccon?

She is Brazilian.

What is Mariana Luccon’s net worth?

Her net worth is unknown.

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The lineup of Real Madrid looked very very different the last time they faced Leganes in the LaLiga, albeit, only 4 years ago.

It’s been over 4 years since Leganes and Real Madrid faced off. It was the last matchday of the extended COVID-19 footballing season. On the 20th of July, 2020, Los Blancos visited the Estadio Municipal de Butarque.

The match ended 2-2, after Roger Assale equalized 12 minutes before the 90th minute. However, the Real Madrid lineup that started against Leganes, now just has 5 players remaining in the squad.

Here is a look at Real Madrid’s team against Leganes, the last time the two teams faced off in the LaLiga.

GK – Alphonse Areola

This was one of Areola’s four appearances for Real Madrid. He was on loan from PSG, for the 2019-20 season. He left PSG in 2022, and joined West Ham United, where he currently plays.

CB – Sergio Ramos

Club legend Sergio Ramos left Real Madrid in 2021 to join PSG. After two years at the Ligue 1 club, Ramos joined boyhood club Sevilla. He is now a free-agent after playing at Sevilla for a year.

CDM – Casemiro

After almost a decade at Real Madrid, Casemiro joined Manchester United in 2022. Since then he has been a regular starter for the Red Devils.

CAM – Isco

The magical Isco left Real Madrid in 2022 and joined Sevilla. After a year at Sevilla, Isco joined Real Betis, and is one of their key stars now.

RW – Marco Asensio

Another Real Madrid player with a PSG connection. After almost 10 years at Real Madrid, Asensio joined PSG in 2023. He currently plays for the French side.

ST – Karim Benzema

The phoneomenal Karim Benzema, despite already being in his 11th season, had his glory years still ahead of him. His 2021/22 exploits earned him the Ballon d’Or. Finally in 2023, Benzema left Madrid to join Al-Ittihad in the Saudi League.

The rest of the lineup are still at the club, and in fact are the main starters at the club. The LW was Vinicius Jr, who is one of the most integral stars of Los Blancos. The midfield still has Fede Valverde. And it was the defense that remains almost intact – Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez.