Bernardo Silva has revealed he made the decision to leave Manchester City two years ago and that the club tried to convince him to stay.
The Portugal star will play his last game for City on Sunday in Manchester against Aston Villa on the final day of the Premier League season.
"It was a decision I made two years ago, that I would see out my contract and then we would go our separate ways," Silva, 31, told Portuguese channel Canal 11.
"When I made the decision, I knew I wouldn't change my mind."
Silva has won 20 major trophies at City including six Premier League titles, one Champions League and three FA Cups.
"When I arrived, I never imagined I'd stay for nine years, that's a long time at a club," Silva said.
"The decision to leave was a natural one. It's my last chance to take on another challenge in my life, to do something different. Since I left, my family has been pulling me back. They know that nine years is a long time and, after everything I've achieved here, it made sense to do something different."
Asked if those at the club tried to convince him to stay, Silva said: "They tried. They kept trying, but they realised my stance wasn't going to change. In the end, they stopped pushing the issue.
"They gradually realised. And then they started joking that I was leaving but never actually would. They didn't quite believe it. Rúben [Dias] and Matheus [Nunes] knew my decision wouldn't change.
"I didn't make a formal announcement, but I always said I'd see out my contract and then leave."
Silva also said he also tried to convince coach Pep Guardiola to pick another player to serve as captain this season.
"Pep knew about my decision for some time now," Silva said. "When he asked me to be captain this season I told him that maybe it didn't make much sense as it was my last year, I wasn't going to stay; that he should choose another player that would remain at the club.
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"He ended up making his decision, anyway."
Silva arrived in the Premier League in 2017 when he joined City in a £43 million ($58m) move from French champions Monaco and said he never doubted his talent.
"I always trusted and I always believed that I would be very successful," he said. "I always dreamed of winning a Premier League but to leave with six is undoubtedly more than I ever expected.
"I never thought that I would become the Portuguese player with the most games played in the Premier League.
"This club gave me the chance to play at the highest level, to win everything I've won. I will be a fan of this club forever, it holds a special place in my heart. I'm leaving with the certainty that the people here have treated me absolutely brilliantly."
Silva feels privileged to have played for Guardiola, who is also expected to leave City at the end of the season, sources have told ESPN.
"From a tactical level, from the offensive aspect I think he is on a different level," Silva said of the Spanish coach.
"I think all coaches should be trained by him for at least one season to understand. It's the knowledge, the small details because everything is important, his positional play, the way the players respect the positions and know what they need to do at every moment.
"That helps to break down teams that mainly defend very low. I think that was our main weapon, in addition to individual quality."
Asked about ongoing reports that Guardiola will leave City this summer, Silva said: "That's the big question that nobody knows the answer to. It's a decision that only he has to make."
Information from ESPN's Rob Dawson and Mark Ogden was used in this report.