Real Madrid star appears to question Spain manager after shocking World Cup omission | OneFootball

The announcement of Spain’s final squad for the FIFA World Cup has created major debate at Real Madrid after Dean Huijsen was surprisingly left out by Luis de la Fuente.

The young Real Madrid defender had previously been viewed as an important figure within the national team setup and, not too long ago, was even considered one of the favourites to start regularly under De la Fuente.

That is precisely why his exclusion has generated so much attention.

Spain’s final 26-man squad contains no Real Madrid players at all – a remarkable situation considering the club’s historic influence on the national team. 

Dean Huijsen has reacted to missing out on the World Cup squad. (Source: Instagram)

Instead, De la Fuente opted for defensive options such as Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill and Eric Garcia.

Huijsen’s apparent reaction

Shortly after the squad announcement, the defender appeared to express his frustration on social media by reposting an image originally shared by his father. 

The graphic highlighted statistical ratings from Sofascore, where Huijsen ranked among the best-performing players in La Liga this season.

The image placed him ahead of several defenders selected by Spain, including Barcelona’s Eric Garcia.

Huijsen will not be at the World Cup. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Despite the statistical comparisons, Spain’s coaching staff appear to have based their decision on much more than numbers alone.

A difficult debut season

Huijsen endured a complicated and inconsistent campaign at Real Madrid, struggling at times to fully establish himself during difficult moments for the team collectively.

Real Madrid’s defensive instability throughout the season naturally affected individual performances as well, and the young defender found himself under growing scrutiny after several uneven displays.

Notably, De la Fuente felt other defenders offered greater reliability heading into a tournament, which appears to be the only logical explanation for why players like Eric Garcia eventually moved ahead of Huijsen in the hierarchy.