Steven Bergwijn has hit out at the Netherlands coach, Ronald Koeman, for shutting the door on his international career because of a move to Saudi Arabia. The 26-year-old forward was accused by Koeman of lacking “sporting ambition” after leaving Ajax for Al-Ittihad on Monday, and will not be considered for selection.
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Bergwijn, who has played for the national team since 2018 and was part of the squad that reached the Euro 2024 semi-finals, saw Koeman’s critical comments – made in a news conference on Tuesday – on television and was hurt by them.
“You don’t treat players like that,” he told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “I have always considered it an honour to play for the Dutch team, but under this coach I no longer want that. I am done with someone who deliberately portrays me like this in the media.”
Bergwijn said he was disappointed in the coach for not talking to him first. Koeman selected Bergwijn to start in the last 16 and quarter-finals at Euro 2024, and the former Tottenham player also started against Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals in 2022, when the Netherlands were led by Louis van Gaal.
The Netherlands have Nations League matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday and Germany on Tuesday.