John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former player who is currently the assistant manager at

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He will become the manager of

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

club

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

on 1 July 2025. A product of the

Ajax Youth Academy The Ajax Youth Academy (Dutch: ''Ajax Jeugdopleiding'') is a football youth academy based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from where the organization manages a total of 13 youth teams (ages 7–18). The academy is the primary youth clinic of Dutch foo ...

, he played for their first squad from 2001 to 2008. After a one-year spell at

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

in Spain, he signed for Everton in 2009. Joining

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

for six months in January 2014, he then signed with German side

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...

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 A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

(

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

) and three

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

(

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, and

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

). In 2008, he was named

Dutch Footballer of the Year The title Dutch Footballer of the Year ( Dutch: ''Voetballer van het Jaar'') has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Di ...

Club career

Ajax

Heitinga was part of the

youth team, before making his debut for the first team on 26 August 2001 against

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

. He was part a new wave of talent that fielded the likes of homegrown stars

Rafael van der Vaart Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (; born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Van der Vaart began his career at AFC Ajax, Ajax's Ajax Youth Academy, youth academ ...

and

Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer. Noted for his playmaking ability, he was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, Sneijder started ...

, as well as

Zlatan Ibrahimović Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and Volley (association footba ...

and

Cristian Chivu Cristian Eugen Chivu (; born 26 October 1980) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Inter Milan. A defender, he began his career with hometown club CSM Reșița before moving ...

. He was featured in a documentary entitled '' Ajax: Hark the Herald Angel Sings'' alongside Ajax academy pupils

Gregory van der Wiel Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel (born 3 February 1988) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played as a right-back. Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel is a product of the AFC Ajax youth system. In 2010, he was awarded t ...

Mitchell Donald Mitchell Glenn Donald (born 10 December 1988) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He previously played for AFC Ajax, where he went through the youth program. Born in the Netherlands, he ...

Jeffrey Sarpong Jeffrey Nana Darko Sarpong ( ; born 3 August 1988) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for FK Panevėžys. Career Ajax Sarpong joined Ajax when he was just seven years of age, and signed his first contract i ...

Donovan Slijngard Donovan Carlos Saverio Slijngard (born 28 August 1987), simply known as Donovan Slijngard (), is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Club career Ajax Slijngard was born in Amsterdam and came through the Ajax youth ...

Nordin Amrabat Noureddine "Nordin" Amrabat (, ; born 31 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Moroccan Botola Pro club Wydad. Amrabat played for Morocco, which he represented at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, 2012 Olympic ...

Evander Sno Evander Sno (born 9 April 1987) is a Dutch football coach and former player. He played as a defensive midfielder. During his active career, Sno played for numerous clubs in his native Netherlands, but also had spells in Scotland with Celtic and ...

and

Jeremain Lens Jeremain Marciano Lens (born 24 November 1987) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He was a versatile attacking player, known for his pace and stamina, primarily being used as a winger or a striker, but he could also successfully play as ...

. Heitinga quickly established himself as a strong addition to the team and became first-choice player under coach

Co Adriaanse Jacobus "Co" Adriaanse (born 21 July 1947) is a Dutch association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a centre-back. Playing career As a professional player, Adriaanse played for six seasons ...

and later

Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Koeman scor ...

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 Volendam () is a tourist town in the Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Edam-Volendam, Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands, known for its streets, old fishing boats and the traditional clothing wor ...

, 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. Michael Owen Johnny Heitinga cropped

Atlético Madrid

Heitinga moved to

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 The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

– and scoring three goals for Atlético.

Everton

In September 2009, aged 25, Heitinga joined English

club Everton on a five-year contract for a fee of around €7.04 million (£6.2 million). He was given squad number 5, though he was not eligible to represent Everton in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

, having already played for

in the qualifying stage of the Champions League. Heitinga made his debut for Everton on 13 September against

after coming on for the injured

Phil Neville Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English association football, football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. He is also the co-owner of Salford City F.C., Salford ...

. In his first season for the club, Heitinga made 35 appearances in all competitions. He played mostly as defensive midfielder, covering the absence of several players and showing great spirit and adaptability. In the

2010–11 FA Cup The 2010–11 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 130th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. A total of 806 clubs applied to enter of which 759 were accepted, a slight ...

, Everton held holders Chelsea 1–1 in a replay at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in ...

, sending the tie to penalties. Heitinga took Everton's fourth and scored. Phil Neville went on to score the winning penalty for Everton. Later that season, Heitinga scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw at home to

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

. Heitinga was voted Everton's Player of the Season for 2011–12 by the club's supporters. He finally had an extended run of play as centre back, showing the passion and the commanding skills he always put on the field in the orange shirt. He then scored against Newcastle on the final day of the season with an unmarked header which put Everton 3–0, his second Premier League goal and his first in over 14 months. The 2012–13 season proved to be less successful for Heitinga as manager

David Moyes David William Moyes (born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player, who currently manages Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton. He was the 2003, 200 ...

opted to play

Phil Jagielka Philip Nikodem Jagielka ( or ;, ; born 17 August 1982) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. He is primarily known for his lengthy tenures at Sheffield United and Everton. Jagielka cam ...

and

Sylvain Distin Sylvain Distin (born 16 December 1977) is a French former professional association football, footballer. He is left-footed and played as a centre-back, and was also capable of playing at Defender (association football)#Full-back, left-back. Dist ...

for much of Everton's season. Heitinga had to wait until an injury to Jagielka gave him a sustained run in the team but poor performances which included him being culpable for all three goals in a 3–3 draw with

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

led to him being criticised by fans. However, in April Moyes praised Heitinga's mental strength for battling back after his earlier form in the season would have "broken" most players. Despite this, Heitinga revealed that he had rejected Everton's offer of a new contract at the end of the year. In January 2014, Everton and

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

agreed terms for the transfer of Heitinga. He turned down the move however saying: "You have to be convinced that you are taking the right step and I was not". He scored his last goal for the team in his last outing, Everton's 4–0 FA Cup win against

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

before eventually joining

on a free transfer on transfer deadline day.

Fulham

On 31 January 2014, Heitinga signed for

for a six-month deal on a free transfer. In a 3–1 loss against Chelsea on 1 March, Heitinga scored the only goal for Fulham. On 23 May 2014, he was released from the club at the end of his contract.

Hertha BSC

Heitinga signed a two-year contract with German club

in June 2014.

Return to Ajax

On 25 June 2015,

announced that Heitinga would return to the club, joining on a free transfer from German side

. He signed a one-year contract with the option of a second year. However, after playing only two

matches in the first half of the season, Heitinga decided to retire from professional football on 1 February 2016.

International career

Having been part of Dutch international youth teams, Heitinga made his senior debut for the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

on 18 February 2004 in a friendly game against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and made an immediate impact. Several months later, he scored his first goal from a

free kick in a friendly against

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Euro 2004

Although he did not take part in qualifying, Heitinga was later included in the squad for the

Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. Th ...

in Portugal since the Dutch under-21 team had failed to qualify for the

. He started as first choice right back in the first two group stage matches but was suspended for the last match when he was sent-off for two bookable offences. After serving his suspension, he returned in the quarter-final against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

as a second-half substitute for

Edgar Davids Edgar Steven Davids (; born 13 March 1973) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer. Davids was nicknamed "The Pitbull" because of his marking ability, aggression, and hard tackling style of play. After beginning his care ...

and converted his penalty as the Dutch won 5–4 on penalties. The Dutch, however, were eliminated by the hosts

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in the semi-finals.

2006 World Cup

Heitinga's development as a player suffered two dips in form in the 2004–05 and the 2005–06 seasons, respectively. Despite club struggles, Heitinga never lost his spot in the national team under

Marco van Basten Marcel "Marco" Van Basten (; born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch former football manager and player who played as a striker for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all t ...

, who took over as the Netherlands national coach in the summer of 2004. By the end of 2005, had also again become a key player in the Ajax squad. He would also be selected by Van Basten for the Dutch national team of 23 players to compete in the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

, hosted by Germany. The Dutch side performed reasonably well at the World Cup, qualifying for the second round before again being knocked out by Portugal. Sneijder Heitinga

Euro 2008

Heitinga was also called up to the Dutch squad for

Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...

in Austria and Switzerland. Since Euro 2008, he has been a regular in the right back position and has occasionally deputised in other defensive positions during an injury crisis. He made his 50th appearance for the Netherlands in a friendly against

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

on 18 November 2009.

2010 World Cup

Heitinga was included in the squad for the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

in South Africa, and was in the starting line-up for the Netherlands' first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. Heitinga played in every game as the Netherlands reached the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

for the third time, where they faced

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. He started the match but was sent off in the 109th minute after being given his second yellow card for a foul on

Andrés Iniesta Andrés Iniesta Luján (; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and spent most of his career at La Liga club Barcelona. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was known ...

. He became the fifth player to be sent off in a World Cup final.The previous players to be sent off in a World Cup Final are Pedro Monzón, Gustavo Dezotti,

Marcel Desailly Marcel David Desailly (; 7 September 1968) is a French former professional Association football, footballer, who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won se ...

, and

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; ; ''Zineddin Lyazid Zidan''; ; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as an attacking midfi ...

. The Netherlands went on to lose the final 1–0 after Iniesta scored the winning goal for Spain in the 116th minute.

Coaching career

In June 2021, Heitinga was appointed manager of

Jong Ajax Jong Ajax (; ), also referred to as Ajax II or Ajax 2, is a Dutch association football team. It is based in Amsterdam and competes in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. Jong Ajax is the only reserve team to have won a title in Dutch professional foot ...

, the reserve team of Ajax competing in the

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...

. He signed a contract for two seasons running until June 2023. In 2022, he extended his contract until 2025. On 27 January 2023, Heitinga was appointed interim manager of Ajax's first team for the remainder of the season, following the dismissal of

Alfred Schreuder Alfred Schreuder (; born 2 November 1972) is a Dutch football coach and former player who was recently the head coach of UAE Pro League club Al Nasr SC. Club career During his career, Schreuder played for RKC Waalwijk, NAC Breda, Feyenoord, Tw ...

. His first match in charge was a 4–1 away win against Excelsior on 29 January. Under Heitinga's guidance, Ajax finished in third place in the

, securing a place in the UEFA Europa League play-off round. They also reached the final of the

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...

, losing to PSV on penalties after a 1–1 draw. On 1 June 2023, it was announced that Heitinga would not continue as manager of Ajax beyond his interim spell, with the club deciding to appoint Maurice Steijn instead. In September 2023, Heitinga was appointed first-team coach at West Ham United as assistant to

, his former manager at Everton. Upon the departure of Moyes in May 2024, Heitinga left the club, along with other coaches and back-room staff. On 17 July 2024, Heitinga was appointed as the new assistant coach at

. He took charge of Liverpool for the first time in a 2–0 win over

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

on 26 February 2025, whilst manager

Arne Slot Arend Martijn "Arne" Slot (; born 17 September 1978) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of club Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. He is regarded as one of t ...

and assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff were suspended. That season, Liverpool, under Slot’s leadership, won the Premier League title. On 31 May 2025, Heitinga agreed to return to his former club Ajax as head coach, signing a two-year contract set to begin with the 2025–26 season.

Personal life

Heitinga was born in

Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn (Old Rhine ...

, South Holland, and raised in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. He is of Indonesian descent.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Heitinga goal.''

Managerial statistics

Honours

Ajax *

: 2001–02, 2003–04 *

: 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07 *

Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Netherlands *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

: runner-up

Individual *

Amsterdam Sportsman of the Year The Amsterdam Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year is an annual award given to sportspeople associated with Amsterdam (through birth or otherwise), organised since 1999 by the city's division for elite sport named Topsport Amsterdam in cooperatio ...

: 2001 * Ajax Talent of the Future (Sjaak Swart Award): 2000–01 * Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 2003–04 *

: 2007–08 * Everton Player of the Season: 2011–12

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Profile
at the Liverpool F.C. website
Profile
at the Royal Dutch Football Association website (in Dutch) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heitinga, John 1983 births Living people Indo people Dutch people of Indonesian descent Sportspeople of Indonesian descent Dutch men's footballers Footballers from Alphen aan den Rijn Men's association football central defenders Netherlands men's international footballers Netherlands men's youth international footballers 21st-century Dutch sportsmen UEFA Euro 2004 players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2008 players UEFA Euro 2012 players Eredivisie players La Liga players Premier League players Bundesliga players SV ARC players AFC Ajax players Atlético Madrid footballers Everton F.C. players Fulham F.C. players Hertha BSC players Dutch football managers AFC Ajax non-playing staff Jong Ajax managers AFC Ajax managers Eerste Divisie managers Eredivisie managers Dutch expatriate men's footballers Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Dutch football coaches West Ham United F.C. non-playing staff Liverpool F.C. non-playing staff