Johnny Heitinga is currently a coach for Ajax’s U19 side and has been speaking to Voetbal International about his time in English football, and specifically at Everton.
The Dutchman signed for the club in 2009 and stayed all the way through to 2014, although he realises he probably should have stuck around longer.
Clearly fond of the club, the 35 year old told the Dutch magazine that much at Goodison Park was ramshackle, small, and not really up to modern standard, but that seems to be part of what charmed him.
Not only that, the surrounding areas and how football is supported in the city was another plus for Heitinga: “The purity, the rawness; I think it’s great. Especially in Liverpool. 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 stands. It is rivalry, but not pure hatred.
“Once a blue, always a blue, they say at Everton. And that is true. I am really touched by people there. Masseur Jimmy with a huge tattoo on his leg. The nerves that were at the club when the derby came. And a week sick when we lost. It was my best time as a professional. I still have a lot of contact with former teammates and people there.”
The atmosphere which could be created at Goodison is something which has stuck with Heitinga, but whilst it was good for him and his Everton teammates, he believes it was ‘grim’ for opponents.
“The big teams always had a hard time at Goodison Park. There was a somewhat grim atmosphere. That already started in the tunnel. You could not walk past each other there. Pure intimidation took place there. We often won at home.”
The former defender acknowledged that perhaps he got away with more than he would if VAR had been around. He referenced an unpunished collision with Nemanja Vidic to back up his line of thinking.
Maybe one day in the future, the former fan favourite can return to Everton in another role. It certainly sounds like he’d be up for it.
