Top talent! Real Madrid signs 20-year-old Huaisen for €62.5 million—La Liga debut: 7 clearances, 2 tackles, 0 times dribbled past, and a high rating.

Newcastle’s scouting is impressive, but they simply can’t outbid the giants of Europe’s top leagues. Losing Huaisen was always likely given the pull of the “world’s best club.” This 20-year-old is a top-class central defender, and it’s rare to find a two-footed center-back like him in the game.

In La Liga’s opening round, Real Madrid claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Osasuna at home. Mbappé won and scored the decisive penalty, shining as Real’s most effective forward. If Mbappé is the sharpest spear, then Huaisen is the strongest shield. Making his La Liga debut, Huaisen started as left center-back, played the full match, and received an even higher post-game rating (8.5) than goal-scorer Mbappé (8.3)—the highest on the pitch and fully deserving of Man of the Match.

In Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Osasuna, new signing Huaisen delivered 7 clearances, 2 tackles, succeeded in 5 out of 7 duels, won 2 of 4 aerial challenges, and was never dribbled past. He has quickly become the new defensive pillar for Real under Alonso’s tactics and is now the core of their backline. Huaisen touched the ball 114 times, completed passes at a remarkable 93.7% accuracy, unleashed a threatening shot, and acted as a distributor from the back with excellent ball-playing ability.

This summer, Real Madrid outbid several top clubs to land Huaisen from Bournemouth for €62.5 million. He is a mature and composed center-back well beyond his years—just 20, yet so steady and reliable, and ambidextrous to boot, which is truly impressive. On a side note, Juventus’ management really dropped the ball: selling Romero, selling Huaisen—quality defenders out the door one after another, yet now they have no solid center-backs left. What a tragedy.