John Heitinga and Ajax extend contract until summer 2011
27 February: "I have played for Ajax since I was seven
years old and I feel I am a real club man," explained John
Heitinga, immediately after having penned a contract
renewal with technical director Martin van
Geel. Heitinga (23), who recently played his 150th
official game for the Amsterdam outfit, has committed to
Ajax until 30 June 2011. His previous deal would have expired
in the summer of 2008. A true Ajacied has listened to his
heart.
The story of John Heitinga (born Alphen aan den Rijn, 15
November 1983) is a very romantic one: as
his seventh birthday was coming closer, the young child
told his parents that the greatest, coolest birthday present he
could think of would be a training session with Ajax, at De
Meer. Mr and Mrs Heitinga contacted Ajax and
made their son's dream come true. Ajax's scouts and youth
coaches did the rest: the young visitor turned out to be
one talented football player and invited Heitinga to enter the
Ajax youth system. Some seventeen years later, Heitinga has
played 156 official matches for Ajax's first team (13 goals) in
all competitions, while collecting 24 caps for the Dutch
national team (2 goals).
Having made it all the way through the youth ranks, Heitinga
made his official Ajax-1 début on 26 August 2001 in the
'Classic' against Feyenoord in Rotterdam, at the tender age of
17. He was regarded as one of the most precious gems of De
Toekomst at the time: a stylish right-footed defender with a
pristine long pass. However, the early years of Heitinga's
professional career were marred by two serious injuries, which
- for a while - seemed to have nipped his career in the
bud.
The first injury (left knee), sustained against RKC
Waalwijk on 10 February 2002, was initially expected to keep
Heitinga sidelined for some six weeks, but unsuccesful surgery
at Amsterdam's V.U. Hospital made matters worse: new knee
surgery was necessary, which he underwent in
April 2002. Heitinga's first season as a first teamer was
over.
He returned to first team action after five months of rehab,
and seven months at the sideline in total, in the Eredivisie
home game against NAC Breda on 29 September 2002. Brought on as
a half-time substitute, his worst nightmare became reality in
the 83rd minute of the game, after 37 minutes of action: he
twisted his knee... and tore his cruciate ligament. A new six
month battle for recovery was ahead. Did he return to
action too early, you're asking? Well, this time it was
his other knee... Heitinga flew to Vail, Colorado,
where Dr. Richard Steadman the world's
leading 'knee specialist' for athletes, operated him.
On
17 November 2003, in the Eredivisie home game against FC
Volendam, John Heitinga returned to the first team for the
second time, two days after his 20th birthday and 27 months
after his début. He hardly had any first team
experience, but was already a veteran in many ways.
Fortunately, Heitinga's career now really kicked
off. He made his début in the Champions League, became
the 99th Ajacied to make his Oranje début in February
2004 and penned two extended and improved contracts in
a short time: until 2007 on
12 December 2003, and until 2008 on
05 August 2004. His contract renewal until 2011 is his
third as an Ajax-1 player, a rare thing in modern football.
Heitinga has developed into a versatile player, who can play as
a central defender, a right fullback or a defensive
midfielder.
"I can still develop at Ajax and become a better
player," Heitinga said. "My goal for the next few years is to
win trophies with Ajax. I have a good feeling about the
current coaching staff and this team. It's not time for me
to move abroad yet." (MP)
Source: Ajax.nl
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