Real Madrid confirmed their squad numbers for the new season on Monday, with Huijsen swapping the 24 he wore as a rookie for the number 4 previously worn by David Alaba, and by club legends Fernando Hierro and Sergio Ramos before him. The 21-year-old centre-back posted a message on social media dedicated to each of the three men who wore the shirt before him.
"It was always my dream to be able to play for Real Madrid and with the number 4," he wrote.
"As a kid, Sergio Ramos was always my great idol, the one who wore this number and was a true legend for Real Madrid and for world football. I still remember when I used to play in his boots, the SR4s, because I wanted to be like him."
Huijsen also paid tribute to Hierro, whose shared roots in Málaga added extra meaning.
"Before him, another legend wore this number too, Fernando Hierro, and it makes me especially proud because he's from Málaga, like me."
Huijsen went on to thank Alaba, who left Real Madrid as a free agent after his contract expired at the end of last season and remains without a new club.
"Later, another great legend of the game wore it, and I had the pleasure of sharing a dressing room with him. He was, without doubt, one of the best team-mates and people I've known in this sport. He always worked hard and was ready to help everyone with his experience and leadership."
Huijsen closed his message by thanking the club, its president, his manager, team-mates and supporters, adding: "I know this number carries a history full of legends, and I hope I can write my own story so that one day people consider me worthy of having worn this shirt and this number. What I do know is I'll give everything, whether that's in training or in a match."
The switch comes as Huijsen begins his second season at the Santiago Bernabéu after a debut campaign of 40 appearances, two goals and two assists that ultimately fell short of earning him a place in Luis de la Fuente's Spain squad for a World Cup his country went on to win this summer.
Huijsen has since reset over the break and returned to work under José Mourinho, a manager he already knows well from a loan spell at Roma from Juventus, when the Portuguese coach personally called to persuade him to join rather than go to Frosinone. Mourinho has long rated Huijsen highly and is expected to give him the confidence to fully showcase qualities that have never been in doubt, with the defender looking the front-runner to start at left centre-back on this pre-season evidence.