In July 2010 the Dutch international defender Johnny Heitinga followed Ray Wilson into the record books as only the second serving Everton player to appear in a World Cup Final. But while Wilson’s day was one of the defining moments of his life, so Heitinga’s proved something of a nightmare.

In a feisty, unpleasant encounter with Spain, fourteen yellow cards were handed out; nine of which went to the Netherlands, two of which went to Heitinga.  Seven minutes after his extra time dismissal Andrés Iniesta scored the only goal of the match and the Dutch were doomed.

Heitinga was a £6.2million signing for Everton from Atlético Madrid the previous August. A former Dutch Footballer of the Year and product of the famed Ajax youth academy, the 25 year old arrived at Goodison with considerable experience for both club and country and had already appeared in three major tournaments.  Shortly after signing for Everton Heitinga made his 50^th international appearance. He possessed the versatility to play in central midfield, right back and centre half, although Moyes initially said that he saw his long term prospects in central midfield. 

A powerful defensive player, with excellent distribution over short and long distances, Heitinga overcame a shaky start to his Everton career to forge an excellent central defensive partnership with Sylvain Distin.  Indeed after playing at both right back and in central midfield it was in the centre of the Everton defence that he looked most accomplished. 

‘This team makes you so welcome, and works so hard to help you,’ Heitinga told the Daily Mirror four months after his arrival.  ‘I've been one of the team from the start, and if you have the feeling people are happy you're here, that helps and makes you play better.’

Doubts about his pedigree were soon overcome and he emerged as one of the most popular members of the Everton squad.  With a snarl of his teeth and pump of his fists, Heitinga knew how to lift the Goodison crowd.  His form through the 2011/12 was imperious and he deservedly collected the club’s Player of the Year Award.  Some talked of him as a future Everton captain.

‘It's always good if the fans like you, but you know how football is. One day you're a hero, the next you're not. So every game I play I give 100 per cent,’ he said after collecting his Player of the Year award, adding that he ‘loved’ playing for Everton and that the club ‘feels like family.’

However, the 2012/13 season was less favourable for Heitinga, as manager David Moyes primarily relied on Phil Jagielka and Distin throughout much of Everton's campaign. Heitinga only secured regular playing time after Jagielka suffered an injury, but inconsistent performances, including being at fault for all three goals in a 3–3 draw with Aston Villa, led to criticism. In April, however, Moyes commended Heitinga’s mental resilience, noting that his earlier struggles could have “broken” most players. Despite this praise, Heitinga disclosed that he had declined a contract extension from Everton at the season’s end.

In January 2014, Everton agreed on terms for his transfer to West Ham United, but Heitinga rejected the move.  He scored his final goal for Everton in a 4–0 FA Cup win against Stevenage before joining Fulham on a free transfer on deadline day that same month.

The move to Craven Cottage was shortlived and he joined Hertha Berlin for a two year spell in summer 2014. A return to Ajax proved underwhelming on the playing front, but he turned to coaching at the club’s famed academy, and in 2023 served as the Amsterdam club’s interim coach. In September 2023 he was reunited with Moyes, now manager of West Ham, where he served as his assistant. In summer 2024, following Arne Slot’s appointment as Liverpool manager, Heitinga returned to Merseyside as the Anfield assistant manager.

Perhaps foretelling that switch to Anfield, in a 2018 interview with the Dutch football magazine Voetbal International, Heitinga spoke about his love for the “purity and rawness” of English football.

“I think it's great, especially in Liverpool,” he said. “The old neighbourhoods, the short distance between the two stadiums, the eternal battle between red and blue. You are born with a red or blue heart, they say, but there are really families where the man is for Liverpool and the woman for Everton. And also the two children are divided. Just eat together at the same table, eh. And together to the derby, side by side in the gallery. … It is rivalry, but not pure hatred.”