Steven Bergwijn no longer wants to play for the Netherlands national team under current coach Ronald Koeman, he confirmed to De Telegraaf.
The winger only learned of Koeman's omission from the national team through the media, after he opted to leave Ajax for Saudi Arabia with Al Ittihad.
Coach Koeman said that Bergwin's departure from Europe did not show his ambition on the sporting side.
“Bergwijn went to Saudi Arabia at the age of 26. That clearly shows a lack of ambition. The door to the national team is closed to him. He knew I would say this,” said the 61-year-old former defender.
And Bergwijn responded in a straightforward manner a few days later, saying Koeman's statement was "very regrettable". The player, who has 35 caps for the Netherlands, said the coach had not contacted him.
“If he was a dedicated national team coach, he would have called me first,” he said. “This is too easy and I am disappointed in him.”
“This is not how you treat your players. If this continues, he will lose his credibility.
"I have always felt privileged to play for Oranje, but under this coach I don't want to do it anymore. With someone who deliberately puts me down like this in the media, I'm finished," Bergwijn said with a certain hurt.
After Koeman closed the door on Bergwijn, many people criticized him on social media, recalling that he still called Georginio Wijnaldum into the squad for EURO 2024, even though the 33-year-old midfielder will play for Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia from 2023.
Not only that, they also believe that the current Saudi Arabian national championship is stronger than the Dutch national championship.
The Netherlands will kick off their 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League campaign against Bosnia-Herzegovina at 1:45 a.m. on September 8 (Vietnam time).
