Neven Subotic has called time on his decade of service to Borussia Dortmund by signing an 18-month deal with St Etienne.
Subotic, 29, won two Bundesliga titles and the German Cup with BVB after moving to Dortmund from Mainz, following manager Jurgen Klopp to the Westfalenstadion, in 2008.
Ligue 1 club St Etienne made their foray into the world of unorthodox signing announcements by tweeting a video of Les Verts fans being asked to pronounce "dobrodosli," which means welcome in Serbian.
The Serbia international, who played for United States Under-20s, is then seen laughing at the footage while wearing the side's green shirt in a changing room.
"I am a fighter, I like to fight. I know the great history of this club, its rich past. I also know that the French championship is very athletic," he told the club's website. "Physically, I'm fit and ready to give everything here in St Etienne.''
His capture is the third of the January transfer window for St Etienne, who have already recruited Yann M'Vila and Paul-Georges Ntep.
Subotic played a key role during Dortmund's title-winning years in 2011 and 2012, and also played in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 2013.
But following an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered later that year, he struggled to return to the starting formation. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, he played in only 50 Bundesliga matches for the club and FC Cologne, where he was on loan from January-June 2017.
The defender has been a fan favourite at the Westfalenstadion, not only for his attitude on the pitch, but also for his closeness with the club's supporters and, most of all, his charitable foundation which has helped create wells in Africa.
Information from Germany correspondent Stephan Uersfeld was used in this report.
