Tottenham signing Vincent Janssen almost quit football after failing to break through at Feyenoord.
Janssen, 22, was released by the Dutch giants in 2013, having been unable to make a first-team appearance at the club.
He spent time in the second-tier before joining AZ Alkmaar, scoring a stunning 27 goals in 34 Eredivisie appearances last season.
Now a five-time Netherlands international, Janssen revealed he came close to giving up on the sport after failing at Feyenoord.
"I liked football too much to quit it, but at that moment it was now or never," he told ESPNFC.
"And if it wasn't going to be what I wanted, I had to make a choice. I said to myself, 'One time more I'm going to give everything for it', and you can see what can happen.
"My feeling at Feyenoord was not that good. I never felt really comfortable. Feyenoord made a choice at that moment and I made a choice to go on. Sometimes, it not always going how you want it to go is helpful.
"I was not feeling comfortable there, so I had to fight for myself. That's what I learned there. Sometimes when it doesn't go well, you have to fight. So that's what I did."
Thanks to his performances last season, Janssen earned a £17million move to Tottenham in July.
Janssen said he knew after speaking to manager Mauricio Pochettino he wanted a move to Spurs.
"When I was first in Tottenham at the facilities, my conversation with the coach was very good. For me, the choice was easy," he said.
"I always think to myself that I have to do choices by 100 per cent, and for me it was a 100 per cent choice.
"My feeling was good. It was easy. After a lot of conversations with the club, I know where I want to go."
