John Heitinga retires from football at age 32

John Heitinga, the 2008 Dutch Footballer of the Year, is hanging up his cleats.

On Tuesday, Heitinga took to Twitter to announce his retirement from football, putting a lid on a career that saw him take the pitch in the 2010 World Cup final, win 87 caps for the Netherlands national team, and make over 100 Premier League appearances.

Both Heitinga and Ajax have expressed an intent to enter a new agreement shortly, with the Dutchman expected to focus on coaching the club's youth teams.

Heitinga, 32, returned to Ajax last year, rejoining the club from Hertha Berlin on a one-year contract. However, he only went on to tally two appearances in the Eredivisie, both of which came as a substitute.

"My ultimate wish was to return to Amsterdam and, at the end of the season, to be able to hoist the championship trophy for the fans for the third time," Heitinga said. "But in December, I realised that it was time to put an end to my career as a player. The farewell comes a bit earlier than planned. But I'll always be Ajacied and I am looking forward to this new stage in my life."