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Steven Bergwijn has declared that he no longer wishes to play for the Netherlands national team under coach Ronald Koeman, following critical remarks made by Koeman about the forward’s recent move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. Bergwijn completed a £17.7 million transfer from Ajax on Monday, prompting Koeman to publicly question the player’s sporting ambitions.
Koeman stated that Bergwijn’s decision to move to Saudi Arabia indicates a focus on financial gain over sporting development, saying, “the book is basically closed to him,” and adding that Bergwijn “knows what I think about this.”
In response, Bergwijn expressed his disappointment, claiming that Koeman never spoke to him personally before making these comments. “I don’t even want to play under Koeman anymore,” Bergwijn told De Telegraaf. “He could have called me, heard my side of the story. How can he say such things without talking to me?”
The former Tottenham forward, who has earned 35 caps and scored eight goals for the Netherlands, added that he was upset by Koeman’s handling of the situation: “If he had been a committed national coach, he would have called me first. Now I had to hear about it on TV.”
Koeman, who previously gave Bergwijn his international debut in 2018, downplayed the situation when asked about it on Friday, saying that Bergwijn’s reaction was “logical,” but insisting that the matter “will not be discussed further.” He emphasized that his main point was about the lack of sporting ambition in the move, stating, “I did not say much more.”
Bergwijn also referenced Koeman’s earlier public criticism of Ajax striker Brian Brobbey’s technical ability, suggesting that such comments have damaged the coach’s credibility with players: “If he continues like this, he will lose all his credibility.”
