A PREMIER League legend has admitted he is lucky to be alive after being kidnapped and held at knifepoint during a terrifying ordeal in Saudi Arabia.
Everton icon Adrian Heath, 65, had travelled to the Middle East to interview for what he believed was a lucrative managerial role.
Speaking to The Athletic, he detailed how he walked straight into a meticulously planned trap.
To make matters worse up until the moment he arrived, there had been no red flags.
He had even sought reassurance from trusted contacts – including Steven Gerrard – who had previously worked in Saudi Arabia, to discuss the opportunity.
In November, the former MLS coach boarded a plane to Morocco, where he had been invited to meet “the sheikh” – a man he was told owned several hotels and businesses across the region.
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But the nightmare began the moment he touched down in North Africa.
He was met by two men, who greeted him with flowers and ushered him into a car.
Heath was driven to a small harbour town and taken into a room where three men were waiting.
The reality of his situation hit him hard.
At this point, one of the men told Heath: “You obviously realise that this isn’t what you thought it was going to be.”
Soon, the threat became explicit.
One man, believed to be in his thirties, calmly laid out Heath’s future.
“This is how it’s going to work: You’re going to send us money.
“And if you don’t, you won’t see your wife again. You won’t see your two kids and your grandkids.”
The thugs demanded a six-figure sum, but Heath told his captors that his wife, Jane, would not be able to send the money as it was already past the end of the business day in the United States.
As night turned into morning, the situation escalated when a knife was pressed against his throat.
Alone with his thoughts, Heath reflected on everything he stood to lose.
“I started thinking about all the good stuff about my life. My wife. My children. My grandkids,” Heath said.
When morning came, the captors placed a call to Jane, waking her in the process.
Despite the unimaginable pressure, Heath was determined not to pay – knowing full well that once money was sent, the demands would only grow.
“Listen to what I’m saying. I need you to transfer some money,” Heath told his wife.
Jane immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Adrian, we changed bank accounts less than 12 months ago. You’re the head name on it. I can’t transfer any money without you there,” she replied.
The line went dead before ringing again a minute later.
This time, the captors demanded a smaller amount – still well into six figures.
Jane then called her son, Harrison Heath, a former MLS midfielder, who tried desperately to reach his father.
When he couldn’t get through, Harrison’s wife, Kaylyn Kyle, suggested checking the Find My Friends app.
By some miracle, Heath’s location services were still on.
Armed with a screenshot, Harrison confronted the agent who had arranged the meeting in an “aggressive phone call.”
He then contacted a family friend – an FBI employee based in New York.
While efforts to trace him intensified, Heath was still locked in negotiations with his captors.
“Listen, I don’t know how this going to end up, but bottom line, you’re not getting any money,” he told them.
“You can see that the only chance you’ve got in getting any money is me going home and me wiring it to you. From there, you’re going to have to trust me, but that’s where we are.”
At this point, one of the kidnappers entered the room and told Heath to gather his belongings.
He was being taken to the airport.
Against all odds, he was free, reuniting with his wife upon his return to the US.
The FBI immediately provided round-the-clock protection, remaining at their home for 48 hours.
For weeks afterward, agents continued to guard the property.
Heath had never intended to share his story beyond a small circle of friends and the League Managers Association (LMA).
That changed when an FBI agent called with chilling news – it had happened to another manager.
“You think it’s over, but it’s never going to go away,” said Jane.
“The thought of another family going through anything like that.”
Today, Heath knows just how close he came to losing everything.
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