Jakub Blaszczykowski has said he turned down an offer to move from Borussia Dortmund to rivals Schalke because there are "more things to football than money."
Blaszczykowski joined Serie A club Fiorentina after eight years at BVB.
The 29-year-old Poland international had been struggling with injuries since suffering a ligament tear last year.
He missed crucial parts of BVB's preseason, the first under new coach Thomas Tuchel, and failed to make the squad for any of Dortmund's eight competitive matches of the season.
On Monday, he joined Fiorentina on a year-long loan, with that deal reportedly also including an option to buy.
And the player, nicknamed Kuba, said he had never been interested in the prospect of a move to Schalke.
"Schalke wanted to sign me, but out of respect for the [Dortmund] fans I never considered this opportunity," he said on his official website.
"I still believe that there are more things to football and life in general than just money.
"It was incredibly tough to leave this place [Dortmund] -- it will always remain a fantastic place for me."
