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John Heitinga
John Gijsbert Alan Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former player who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Ajax.
A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he played for their first squad from 2001 to 2008. After a one-year spell at Atlético Madrid in Spain, he signed for Everton in 2009 . Joining Fulham for six months in January 2014 , he then signed with German side Hertha BSC the following summer, signing a two-year deal with the Berlin-based club . In June 2015, he returned to his boyhood club Ajax for a single season before retiring in 2016.
After making his debut for the Netherlands national team in February 2004, Heitinga earned over 85 caps and represented his country at two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and three European Championships (2004, 2008, and 2012). In 2008, he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year.
Heitinga was born in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, and raised in Amsterdam. He is of Indonesian descent through his paternal grandfather.
Heitinga was part of the Ajax youth team, before making his debut for the first team on 26 August 2001 against Feyenoord. He was part a new wave of talent that fielded the likes of homegrown stars Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder, as well as Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristian Chivu. He was featured in a documentary entitled Ajax: Hark the Herald Angel Sings alongside Ajax academy pupils Gregory van der Wiel, Mitchell Donald, Jeffrey Sarpong, Donovan Slijngard, Nordin Amrabat, Evander Sno and Jeremain Lens.
Heitinga quickly established himself as a strong addition to the team and became first-choice player under coach Co Adriaanse and later Ronald Koeman until he suffered a serious knee injury which kept him on the sidelines for over six months. His comeback was short-lived, as he played only one game before suffering yet another injury which again sentenced him to a long period of recovery.
He made his second comeback at the start of the 2003–04 season and impressed in his first game since injury against Volendam, from where he went on to become a first choice central defender for the remainder of the season as well as a popular figure amongst the fans. When it was announced that he would be leaving Ajax at the end of the 2007–08 season, the fans gave him a fitting send-off by displaying a mosaic of him on the stands.
Heitinga moved to Atlético Madrid at the end of the 2007–08 season for a fee of £8.8 million. His first season in Spain ended with Heitinga making 32 appearances – 27 in La Liga – and scoring three goals for Atlético.
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John Heitinga
John Gijsbert Alan Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former player who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Ajax.
A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he played for their first squad from 2001 to 2008. After a one-year spell at Atlético Madrid in Spain, he signed for Everton in 2009 . Joining Fulham for six months in January 2014 , he then signed with German side Hertha BSC the following summer, signing a two-year deal with the Berlin-based club . In June 2015, he returned to his boyhood club Ajax for a single season before retiring in 2016.
After making his debut for the Netherlands national team in February 2004, Heitinga earned over 85 caps and represented his country at two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and three European Championships (2004, 2008, and 2012). In 2008, he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year.
Heitinga was born in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, and raised in Amsterdam. He is of Indonesian descent through his paternal grandfather.
Heitinga was part of the Ajax youth team, before making his debut for the first team on 26 August 2001 against Feyenoord. He was part a new wave of talent that fielded the likes of homegrown stars Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder, as well as Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristian Chivu. He was featured in a documentary entitled Ajax: Hark the Herald Angel Sings alongside Ajax academy pupils Gregory van der Wiel, Mitchell Donald, Jeffrey Sarpong, Donovan Slijngard, Nordin Amrabat, Evander Sno and Jeremain Lens.
Heitinga quickly established himself as a strong addition to the team and became first-choice player under coach Co Adriaanse and later Ronald Koeman until he suffered a serious knee injury which kept him on the sidelines for over six months. His comeback was short-lived, as he played only one game before suffering yet another injury which again sentenced him to a long period of recovery.
He made his second comeback at the start of the 2003–04 season and impressed in his first game since injury against Volendam, from where he went on to become a first choice central defender for the remainder of the season as well as a popular figure amongst the fans. When it was announced that he would be leaving Ajax at the end of the 2007–08 season, the fans gave him a fitting send-off by displaying a mosaic of him on the stands.
Heitinga moved to Atlético Madrid at the end of the 2007–08 season for a fee of £8.8 million. His first season in Spain ended with Heitinga making 32 appearances – 27 in La Liga – and scoring three goals for Atlético.