The teenager on his calm demeanour, learning the defender’s art in Italy and his side’s European credentials
He is surely one of the most exciting prospects in the game – José Mourinho said as much around this time last year – but to many Dean Huijsen is just a Chill Guy. Last month the 19-year-old celebrated his first Bournemouth goal, against Tottenham, by mimicking the popular meme of a human-like dog smirking with paws in pockets, and then did the same a couple of weeks later after opening the scoring in a resounding win at Old Trafford.
A TikTok clip of Huijsen imitating the image, posted by Bournemouth, has been viewed 11m times. “I’ve always been a pretty relaxed person, pretty chilled,” Huijsen says. “I think I am pretty calm on the ball, I make my decisions and I don’t get too panicked. I thought it would be a nice celebration but didn’t expect it to go so viral. I just thought it would be funny, and I guess people liked it.”
About Author
More Stories
Italian cyclist Sara Piffer, 19, dies after being hit by car during training ride
Give us our GOAT back: tribalism remains a bar to appreciating Djokovic’s greatness | Barney Ronay
How Chelsea adapted Manchester City blueprint to rebuild their fortunes