Ex-Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour claims he turned down a £200,000 bribe from Bayern Munich to miss the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Europeans clubs are obliged to release their players for Africa's flagship tournament but Kuffuor has told SuperSport they tried to lure him with cash to snub his country.
His then German club made numerous overtures which included the huge cash incentive to persuade him to ditch the national team and help the Bavarian chase for titles in the Bundesliga and Europe.
But he opted to show his loyalty to the national course by snubbing the several moves which also included a consultation with his late father to convince him to take the offer.
Kuffour showed up at the tournament in Mali but was sacked from camp for an alleged act of insubordination.
He was accused of negatively affecting the dressing room after he complained about the quality of food and apparel provided the team and head coach Fred Osam Duodu decided to sack him from camp.
He says the fact that he was given a 'bad boy' image made him regret his decision to turn down the offer from the German giants.
Kuffour officially brought his glittering career to an end with a historic testimonial match at the Baba Yara stadium in Kumasi.