John Heitinga

John Heitinga
Heitinga as manager of Ajax in 2023
Personal information
Full name John Gijsbert Alan Heitinga[1]
Date of birth (1983-11-15) 15 November 1983 (age 40)[2]
Place of birth Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
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)
International career
2004–2013 Netherlands 87 (7)
Managerial career
2017–2021 Ajax A1 (U19)
2021–2023 Jong Ajax
2023 Ajax
2023–2024 West Ham United (assistant)
2024– Liverpool (assistant coach)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2010 South Africa
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Portugal
UEFA European Under-16 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Israel U-16 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga (born 15 November 1983) is a Dutch football coach and a former player who played as a centre back. He is currently the assistant first-team coach at Premier League club Liverpool.

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 club from Berlin. In June 2015, he returned to his first club, Ajax.

Since his debut for the Netherlands national team in February 2004, Heitinga had over 85 caps and represented his country at two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and three European Championships (2004, 2008, and 2012). In 2008, Heitinga was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. He is of mixed Dutch and Indonesian ancestry.[4]

  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 30 de agosto de 2009, en Málaga" [Minutes of the Match held on 30 August 2009, in Málaga] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of players: Netherlands" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  3. ^ "John Heitinga". heitingaofficial.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Para Pemain Keturunan Indonesia di Eredivisie Rata-Rata U-23, Penggawa Tim Junior Oranye" (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.