Former Tottenham defender Lee Young-Pyo has revealed the bizarre reason he moved to Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal.
The left-back played 92 matches for the north London side between 2005 and 2008 after moving from PSV Eindhoven, where he had won three Eredivisie trophies.
He then made the switch to Borussia Dortmund, raising eyebrows by turning down Italian giants Roma, but only played one season for the German side.
Then in the summer of 2009 the South Korean shocked fans by heading to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal while taking a pay-cut.
Now Young-Pyo has explained the surprise decision, during a Q&A session at the Youth Let's Go lecture in Seoul, but his answer did little to clear up the confusion surrounding the transfer.
Former Tottenham defender Lee Young-Pyo has revealed the bizarre reason he moved to Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal
Young-Pyo explained the decision during a Q&A session at the Youth Let's Go lecture in Seoul
The left-back (centre) played 92 matches for the north London side between 2005 and 2008
He said that he did not want to do something that 'everyone in the world' was also doing by going to Roma and that it would be more valuable to stay at Spurs
He told the audience: 'I really didn't want to go there - God put a heart in my heart to go to Saudi Arabia but I resisted until the very end because I didn't want to go. I just thought I was spiritually tired, so I turned away for a long time.
'I was actually getting paid more in Dortmund but, if I went to Saudi Arabia, I would get a worse evaluation and be criticised for going there for the money, so I thought, "Why should I go?"
'In the end, I decided to go, but I asked God why I had to go. He said, "Let’s go after finding out the reason," but I went without knowing the reason until the very end. To be honest, I still don't know the reason.'
He added that he hopes to one day find out the reason why he moved to Al-Hilal.
The South Korean also took the time to elucidate fans on why he snubbed Roma three years prior while he was at Spurs.
The rejection surprised football fans with Roma having secured a spot in the Champions League, coming second in Serie A, while the north London side were facing a season in the UEFA Cup after finishing fifth in the Premier League.
Essentially, Young-Pyo first thought it was the correct move but then decided against it for reasons he cannot describe.
He added that he did not want to do something that 'everyone in the world' was also doing and that it would be more valuable to stay at Spurs.
The left-back has made the fourth most appearances for his national side, with 127 - equal to that of current Tottenham icon Heung-Min Son.
He moved to Spurs from PSV Eindhoven, where he had won three Eredivisie trophies
The left-back (right) has made the fourth most appearances for his national side, with 127 - equal to that of current Tottenham icon Heung-Min Son (left)
He then made the switch to Borussia Dortmund , raising eyebrows by turning down Italian giants Roma
Since his retirement in 2013, Young-Pyo has become something of a television icon in his home country, winning an award for his role in the show Shooting Stars.
The programme places famous people in a football team, which is coached by the South Korea legend before being pitted against other sides.
Young-Pyo has also taken part in football commentary since he called time on his career.