Sergio Ramos said he could have earned a bigger salary elsewhere after agreeing a new contract to stay at Real Madrid as club captain.
Ramos, 29, was the focus of one of the summer's longest-running transfer sagas as talks over a new deal stalled and he was repeatedly linked with a move to Manchester United.
But he has now signed a five-year deal, with reports claiming he has secured a pay increase from €6 million a year to around €10m.
The Spain international told reporters at a ceremony at Real's Bernabeu home that his concerns at Madrid had never been about money.
.@SergioRamos renews with Real Madrid until 2020. #SergioRamos2020 #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/Zm8Q1UpZMi
- Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) August 17, 2015
"Sincerely, if it was an economic matter, I would not have stayed," he said. "I could have earned more money elsewhere.
"But it was not an economic matter. There were other things to work out and they have been resolved. My president [Florentino Perez] knows I never called to ask for a new contract or a salary raise."
He said there had been "problems" and added: "It's clear that I was not comfortable in some ways. I never said I wanted to leave, but I could not continue like that.
"I spoke with those I needed to speak with. They were professional, personal problems, not so much financial. The financial side was resolved in five minutes.
"There were other things to resolve, which took longer, but thanks to the president that was possible."
The defender was widely reported to have been unhappy with Real over their failure to offer him an extension to his previous deal, which was due to expire in 2017.
It was also claimed he was irritated that Madrid had refused to respond publicly when Barcelona presidential candidate Jordi Majo said he had been offered the defender as a "secret weapon" in the election at the Camp Nou.
Former club president Ramon Calderon said Ramos, who was also reported to have been unhappy at the departures of head coach Carlo Ancelotti and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, had told the club "to listen to offers they get from Manchester United."
Ramos said he had not been pleased about some of the things that had been written about him in the media during the saga, adding: "You are never happy when things come out that are not true.
"But in the end I stayed quiet out of respect for club. Other people came out to talk for their own reasons.
"I have never said I wanted to leave Madrid. I am happy here; my dream would be to retire here. Few things would be better than that. I have a new challenge now to captain the club and the team, and hope to do that as best possible.
"The fans know the reality, as I am here telling it to you now. The truth is what comes out of my mouth.
"Players have had ups and downs with fans here. I know all Madrid players must live with this pressure, the demands of the fans, and I hope to have same affection [from the crowd] as always."
Perez said he was delighted that the hero of the 2014 Decima Champions League win had committed to the club.
"Today is a great day for this club, today Real Madrid have the satisfaction that Sergio Ramos will be with us five years more," he said.
"Real Madrid has a code of values that Sergio Ramos has known since the first day he arrived aged 19. The kid who arrived at the Bernabeu has become a true man and a legend at Real Madrid."
Ramos, who joined Real from Sevilla in 2005, has won La Liga three times, the Copa del Rey twice and the 2014 Champions League during his time at the Bernabeu.