Willian says quitting Arsenal for Corinthians - and with it a 70 per cent decrease in salary - was the right call.

The Brazilian, 33, joined the Gunners on a free transfer from Chelsea in August 2020 and signed a lucrative three-year deal which included an enormous signing bonus.

He lasted 12 months before returning to his homeland last summer to rejoin his former academy side Corinthians.

Willian told Four Four Two: "Things didn't really go the way we'd all planned.

"I wasn't happy there, and when you're not happy in a place, it doesn't matter how much you try - you're not going to be able to deliver what people expect of you.

"We had a great project and believed that it would work out, but it didn't, and so I chose to leave and do what was best for me.

"There are moments in life when the money isn't so important and you need to focus on what makes you happy; to look for a place where you have some pleasure working.

"That's something I didn't have there (Arsenal), and staying only for the money isn't something I'm capable of doing – there are many other things that come first for me.

"I thought to myself that I couldn't stay just because of a contract – after all, if I did, where would my motivation, my pleasure and my well-being go?

"So that's what I had in mind. Everybody saw what I left behind in order to pursue my happiness again."