The ECHO’s Chris Beesley continues his daily series of articles on Everton and the World Cup running throughout the tournament in Qatar.
Everton’s John Heitinga is a member of an exclusive club of just five footballers alongside Zinedine Zidane but unfortunately membership is based on being sent off in a World Cup final. Other than Ray Wilson, Heitinga is the only other player to date to turn out in a World Cup final while with Everton but while the 1966 left-back lifted the trophy on home turf at Wembley, the Dutchman not only tasted defeat but suffered the ignominy of being shown the red card in the biggest game of his life.
Along with the aforementioned Zidane – given his marching orders for headbutting former Blue Marco Materazzi when playing for France against Italy in 2006 – the others joining Heitinga in the World Cup finals ‘hall of shame’ are Argentinian pair Pedro Monzon and Gustavo Dezotti, who were both dismissed in 1990 against West Germany, and France’s Marcel Desailly against Brazil in 1998, the only one on the list to have finished on the winning side. The versatile Heitinga, who could play across defence or in midfield, had joined Everton from Atletico Madrid for £6.2million the previous year.
