A strong, footballing central defender, Heitinga is viewed as the long-term successor to Jaap Stam in the Netherlands team. A product of Ajax's world famous youth system, he made his Eredivisie debut as a 17-year-old, but his early progress was halted by two serious knee injuries and he did not become a regular until 2003. Heitinga made his international debut in the 1-0 win against USA in February 2004 and was part of the squad for Euro 2004, but did not play in the semi-final after losing his starting place following his dismissal in the group game against the Czech Republic. Illness and poor form have prevented Heitinga playing regularly for Ajax this season and he may struggle to get any playing time in Germany.