Steven Bergwijn will see his bank account grow significantly following his move to Al-Ittihad but his arrival at the Saudi club has prompted Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman to rule him out of playing for the Oranje because of his “lack of sporting ambition”.
Since the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of 2022, the Saudi League has managed to attract big names, veterans and young players based on million-dollar contracts. Many footballers have been tempted to put money before sport.
Steven Bergwijn, who left Ajax to join Al-Ittihad, was one of the latest to head to the Arab country. However, while the Dutchman’s bank account will benefit greatly from the move, his international career has suffered a major setback.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman appeared before the media and assured that, as long as he is Oranje coach, Bergwijn will not be called up because of his alleged lack of sporting ambition, the former Barcelona boss explained.
“Steven Bergwijn has gone to Saudi Arabia at the age of 26. This move has nothing to do with sporting ambition. His history with the national team is closed,” said the coach.
“I’m sure he knew what I just said. If you are 26 years old, you have to put the sporting aspect, the ambition, first and not the economic issue. He could have stayed at Ajax, couldn’t he? I’m sure Ajax pays its players very well too. At his age, I wouldn’t have decided his,” said Koeman.
With the door to the national team closed, Bergwijn will focus entirely on his new club, where he will be joined by other big names such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho and Danilo Pereira.