John Heitinga facts for kids
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Heitinga as manager of Ajax in 2023
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 15 November 1983 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Liverpool (assistant coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1990 | ARC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2001 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2008 | Ajax | 152 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Atlético Madrid | 28 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2014 | Everton | 115 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Fulham | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Hertha BSC | 13 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Ajax | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 324 | (24) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2013 | Netherlands | 87 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2021 | Ajax A1 (U19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Jong Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | West Ham United (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Liverpool (assistant coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch football coach and a former player. He used to play as a centre back, which is a defensive position. Currently, he works as an assistant coach for the first team at Liverpool.
John Heitinga grew up playing football in the Ajax Youth Academy. He played for their main team from 2001 to 2008. After playing for Atlético Madrid in Spain for a year, he joined Everton in England in 2009. He then played for Fulham for six months in 2014, and later for Hertha BSC in Germany. In 2015, he returned to his first club, Ajax.
Heitinga also played for the Netherlands national team. He made his debut in 2004 and played in over 85 games. He represented his country in two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and three European Championships (2004, 2008, and 2012). In 2008, he was named the Dutch Footballer of the Year, which is a big award in Dutch football.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Time at Ajax
John Heitinga started his football journey in the Ajax youth team. He made his first team debut on 26 August 2001 against Feyenoord. He was part of a talented group of young players at Ajax, including Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder.
He quickly became an important player for the team. However, he faced challenges when he suffered two serious knee injuries. These injuries kept him out of the game for a long time.
Heitinga made a strong comeback at the start of the 2003–04 season. He became a key central defender and a fan favorite. When he announced he would leave Ajax in 2008, fans showed their appreciation with a special display in the stands.
Playing for Atlético Madrid
After leaving Ajax, Heitinga moved to Atlético Madrid in Spain in 2008. He played for one season, making 32 appearances and scoring three goals.
Years at Everton
In September 2009, Heitinga joined the English club Everton. He signed a five-year contract. He couldn't play for Everton in the UEFA Europa League because he had already played for Atlético Madrid in another European competition.
Heitinga played his first game for Everton on 13 September. In his first season, he played 35 games. He often played as a defensive midfielder, showing he could adapt to different positions.
In the 2010–11 FA Cup, Heitinga scored a penalty in a shootout against Chelsea, helping Everton win. Later that season, he scored his first goal for Everton. Fans voted him Everton's Player of the Season for 2011–12. He played very well as a centre back during this time.
The 2012–13 season was tougher for Heitinga. He didn't play as much because other defenders were preferred. Despite this, his manager praised his mental strength. Heitinga decided not to sign a new contract with Everton. He left the club in January 2014, joining Fulham for free.
Short Spell at Fulham
On 31 January 2014, Heitinga joined Fulham on a six-month deal. He scored one goal for Fulham in a match against Chelsea. He left the club when his contract ended in May 2014.
Playing in Germany for Hertha BSC
In June 2014, Heitinga signed a two-year contract with the German club Hertha BSC.
Returning to Ajax
On 25 June 2015, Heitinga returned to his first club, Ajax. He joined them on a free transfer. However, he only played two league matches before deciding to retire from professional football on 1 February 2016.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, John Heitinga started his coaching career. In June 2021, he became the manager of Jong Ajax, which is Ajax's reserve team. He signed a contract until June 2023, and later extended it until 2025.
On 27 January 2023, Heitinga was appointed as the interim manager for Ajax's first team. This happened after the previous manager was dismissed. His first game in charge was a 4–1 win. Under his leadership, Ajax finished third in the league and reached the final of the KNVB Cup. However, he did not continue as the main manager after his interim period.
In September 2023, Heitinga became a first-team coach at West Ham United. He worked as an assistant to David Moyes, who was his former manager at Everton. When Moyes left West Ham in May 2024, Heitinga also left the club. On 17 July 2024, he was appointed as the new assistant coach at Liverpool.
International Career with the Netherlands
John Heitinga played for the Dutch youth national teams before making his senior debut for the Netherlands on 18 February 2004. This was a friendly game against the United States. He quickly made a good impression.
Euro 2004 Tournament
Heitinga was chosen for the Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal. He started as the main right back in the first two group matches. He was suspended for one game after getting two yellow cards. He returned for the quarter-final match against Sweden. The Netherlands won that game on penalties, with Heitinga scoring his penalty. However, they were knocked out by the host country, Portugal, in the semi-finals.
2006 World Cup Tournament
Even though he had some tough times with his club form, Heitinga always kept his place in the national team. He was selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The Dutch team played well, reaching the second round before being eliminated by Portugal again.
Euro 2008 Tournament
Heitinga was also part of the Dutch squad for Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Since this tournament, he was a regular player at right back. He made his 50th appearance for the Netherlands in a friendly game against Paraguay in 2009.
2010 World Cup Tournament
Heitinga was included in the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in every game as the Netherlands reached the final for the third time in their history. They played against Spain.
Heitinga started the final match but was sent off in the 109th minute after receiving his second yellow card. He became the fifth player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final. The Netherlands lost the final 1–0 after Spain scored the winning goal in the 116th minute.
Personal Life
John Heitinga was born in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands. He grew up in Amsterdam. He has Indonesian family background.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 2001–02 | Eredivisie | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Eredivisie | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 30 | 3 | |||
| 2004–05 | Eredivisie | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 32 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 9 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 51 | 9 | ||
| 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 33 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 9 | ||
| Total | 152 | 17 | 16 | 3 | — | 31 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 215 | 24 | |||
| Atlético Madrid | 2008–09 | La Liga | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 37 | 3 | ||||
| Everton | 2009–10 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 26 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Total | 115 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 0 | — | — | 140 | 5 | ||||
| Fulham | 2013–14 | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Hertha BSC | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||
| Ajax | 2015–16 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 324 | 24 | 34 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 423 | 35 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2004 | 12 | 1 |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 87 | 7 | |
Honours and Awards
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2001–02, 2003–04 (Won the top Dutch football league)
- KNVB Cup: 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07 (Won the main Dutch cup competition)
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 (Won the Dutch Super Cup)
Netherlands
- FIFA World Cup: runner-up 2010 (Finished second in the World Cup)
Individual Awards
- Amsterdam Sportsman of the Year: 2001
- Ajax Talent of the Future (Sjaak Swart Award): 2000–01
- Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 2003–04
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2007–08
- Everton Player of the Season: 2011–12
Images for kids
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Heitinga (left) with Michael Owen.
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Heitinga in 2008 during training.
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Heitinga (left) with Jeffrey Bruma.
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See also
In Spanish: John Heitinga para niños
