Many Dutch soccer players start asgreat talents are sent to conquer Europe, to play in the strongest championships, in the top clubs, they fight for the most important trophies and become real stars. However, not all choose this path. There are players like John Heitinga who spend a long time at their own club, if they go abroad, then just to try something new.
As for Heiting, he isa pupil of “Ajax” and most of his career spent in this club. Naturally, the footballer also played for other teams. If you want to know what career path did Dutch center back John Heitinga, this article is for you.
Start a career and play for Ajax
Джон Хейтинга родился 15 ноября 1983 года в Holland and from early childhood began to play football. Already in four years he was in the Academy of the ARC, from which in seven years he moved to the system of the strongest Dutch club “Ajax”. There he spent his childhood. For eleven years, Heitinga acted for various Ajax youth teams, while in 2001, when he was 18, he was not offered a professional contract. It was then that John Heitinga became a full-fledged player who began to gradually win a place at the base.
In the first two seasons, the athlete played onlytwenty matches, but then entrenched in the team and became an integral part of the defensive orders of the Dutch club. For seven years, the defender played for Ajax, he played 215 matches in which he scored 24 goals - an impressive statistic for the central defender. But in 2008, the 25-year-old football player decided that he would like to change the situation. This was facilitated by an impressive offer from Madrid Atletico: for the Dutchman was paid ten million euros.
The transition to "Atletico"
In the first season of John Heitinga, photoswhich has already appeared on the covers of Spanish sports publications, played 37 matches, scoring three goals. Many believed that the "mattress" managed to find the undiscovered talent, a diamond that requires cutting. But during the year, everyone rather quickly became disillusioned with the abilities of the Dutchman, including the club management. As a result, after only a year, John Heitinga, whose biography had previously been limited to Ajax, was again forced to change the club. Seven million euros laid out for the defender of the English “Everton”, which is much more suited the Dutchman than the Madrid club.
New beginning in Everton
В английском «Эвертоне» дела у футболиста пошли much better: from the very first season he won a place at the base and spent four years on the field 140 matches, distinguishing himself with five goals. As with Atletico, with Everton he failed to win trophies. All the awards that Heiting acquired were obtained with Ajax: he won the Dutch Championship twice and won the Dutch Cup three times. In January 2014, Heitinga’s contract with Everton came to an end, the player moved to another English club, Fulham.
Half a year in Fulham
"Fulham" concluded with the Dutchman short-terma contract for six months, and during this time the defender entered the field 14 times, having noted one goal. However, he was not offered a longer-term contract, so in the summer of 2014, Heitinga moved to his new club, the Berlin Gert.
Moving to Germany
Germany has become a new challenge for Johnny.In this country, he has not played. During the season in “Hertha” he spent 14 matches and scored one goal: exactly the same statistics as for six months in “Fulham”. It became clear that the defender was not so much needed by the Berlin club, so a year later he was forced to seek a new shelter. However, Heitinga decided that he would not tempt fate and would return home to calmly end his career.
Return to Ajax
In the summer of 2015, Johnny Heitinga returned to his nativethe club in which he spent half his career. After the triumphant return, the defender played just three matches, after which in February 2016 he announced his retirement. According to the materials of a well-known statistical site, such a player as John Heitinga, the rating at the time of the end of his career was far from being at the highest level - he occupies 2337 place in the list of all players.
National team appearances
For the Dutch national team, Heitinga played 87 matches,distinguished by 7 goals. Heitinga throughout his career was a base player in the national team, he took part in three European Championships, visited two World Championships, including in 2010, where he led his team in the final against the Spaniards. At 109 minutes, the athlete received a second yellow card and was removed, and at 116 minutes Iniesta scored the only goal that brought Spain the World Champion title.
