Al-Ittihad star Steven Bergwijn has blasted Ronald Koeman after the manager dropped him from the Netherlands’ UEFA Nations League squad. Bergwijn claimed the Saudi Pro League was better than Eredivisie and said he did not want to play under Koeman anymore.
Ronald Koeman Axes Steven Bergwijn From Netherlands Squad After Saudi Switch
In a surprising move, Bergwijn joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad from Eredivisie outfit Ajax in a £17.7 million ($23.32 million) move toward the end of the 2024-25 summer transfer window. He signed a three-year deal with the club.
In the aftermath of his switch, Koeman dropped Bergwijn from his Netherlands squad for the UEFA Nations League, bluntly stating he would not call him up to the national team anymore.
“In Bergwijn’s case is that he goes at the age of 26, sporting ambition does not prevail. Not everyone thinks, fortunately, the same way. I think when you are 26 the main ambition should be sporting and not financial, but those are choices players make.
“He could have stayed at Ajax, couldn’t he? And I think they pay OK at Ajax too. But yes, it’s his choice. haven’t been in that situation myself. I could go to Barcelona. I think if Bergwijn could have gone to Barcelona, he wouldn’t have gone to Saudi Arabia either. The book is basically closed for him, though. He has not contacted me about this. I think he knows how I think about this.”
Steven Bergwijn Says He Does Not Want To Play Under Ronald Koeman
Responding to Koeman’s explosive comments and Netherlands snub, the Saudi Pro League star said (via GOAL):
“I don’t even want to play for this manager anymore. I won’t play for someone who portrays me like he has done in the media. He could have called me to hear my side of the story. How can he say such things without talking to me? If he had been a committed national coach, he would have called me first.
“Now I had to hear it from the TV. I have also experienced many beautiful moments with the national coach, but I am disappointed in him. I have always considered it an honor to play for the Dutch national team. But under this national coach, I no longer want to do that.”
He continued:
“It is a golden opportunity in terms of sport and finance.
“With a salary that I could never have dreamed of earning as a little boy. I can assure him [Koeman] that the competition in Saudi Arabia is better than the one in the Netherlands.”
Berwijn, who has also played for PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur, was one of the key players for the Netherlands in the 2024 European Championships. The left-winger has so far played 35 games for Oranje, scoring eight times and providing three assists.
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