Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira has said he always believed he would return to his old form following his 2015 move from Real Madrid.
Germany international Khedira and his side take on Madrid in the Champions League final in Cardiff on Saturday.
He won the trophy with Madrid in 2014 but played only a fringe role for them the following season before moving to Juve on a free transfer.
The 30-year-old, who has become a mainstay for the Italian champions, moved at a time when some German pundits said he was in decline.
But he told kicker: "I knew I could return to my highest level once I found my rhythm, and I definitely found it this year.
"I have had more minutes than in any other season of my professional career."
Khedira said of his critics at the time of the move: "You should never judge people you don't know.
"I knew back then that I was coming out of a difficult time. But only a few know what happened behind the scenes [at Madrid] and how that led to me not getting a lot of playing time at the end."