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Defender Heitinga returns to Ajax

Xinhua, June 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

Ajax reached an agreement with John Heitinga on Thursday on a return of the 31-year-old defender to Amsterdam.

Heitinga had a contract until mid-2016 at Hertha BSC, but he could leave the German Bundesliga club on a free transfer. He signed a contract for one season at Ajax, with an option for a one-year extension until June 30, 2017.

Last year Heitinga moved from Premier League side Everton to Hertha, after spending a season on loan at Fulham. His season in Germany was no success, having played only 13 matches in the Bundesliga. Prior to his Everton period he played for Atletico Madrid.

With Heitinga Ajax attracted an experienced former player. He broke through via the Ajax youth academy and made his debut in the first team on August 26, 2001, against Feyenoord (2-1 win). He played a total of 215 official matches for Ajax, scoring 24 times.

Heitinga won the national championship twice with Ajax (2002, 2004), the Dutch Cup three times (2002, 2006, 2007) and the Johan Cruijff Shield four times (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007). In 2008 he left Ajax for Atletico.

Heitinga played 87 internationals for the Dutch national team, including the World Cup final in 2010 against Spain (1-0 loss), in which he received a red card. His last match for the Netherlands was a friendly against China in June 2013 (2-0 win). Enditem