Mario Gomez has revealed he rejected offers from England and Germany to join Besiktas on loan from Fiorentina this summer.
The 30-year-old left Serie A after two largely disappointing seasons which were marred by injury in a bid to revive his career in Turkey.
With Euro 2016 on the horizon and the determination to break back into the Germany squad in time to be part of it, Gomez is convinced he made the right move, adding that he could not have returned to the Bundesliga.
"It was not really an option for me to go back to the Bundesliga," Gomez told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
"I love Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart, my two former clubs. I had some incredibly nice moments with both so that I could not really imagine playing for another side in the Bundesliga."
The Premier League was not an attractive enough option either with Gomez intentionally taking a step down in order to take two steps forwards.
"I had offers also from England and Germany," Gomez said. "Of course I know that the Turkish league is not on the same level as the Bundesliga, the Italian, Spanish or English leagues and looking from the outside, it's a step back from Bayern to Fiorentina and then to Turkey, but everybody has the right to say what they like.
"I am 100 percent convinced by my decision and it is a considered choice.
"The European Championship next year is a big aim of mine and of course I believe I can make it there too.
"I just needed to take this step for Euro 2016. The coming months will show what direction things will move in."
Gomez has represented his country 59 times and scored 25 goals, although he has not featured under Joachim Low since being called up for a friendly against Argentina last September, after being left out of Germany's World Cup squad.
His last goal for Germany came in Euro 2012, while he only found the back of the net 14 times for Fiorentina in two seasons.