New Everton striker Samuel Eto’o has revealed he turned down offers to return to Italy in favour of joining the Merseyside club.

The former Cameroon captain confirmed his retirement from international football on Wednesday when he also revealed the reasons behind joining the Toffees.

Eto’o, who won 115 caps for his country, left Chelsea at the end of last season as a free agent. With no transfer fee to pay, a number of clubs were interested in his services and Eto’o had offers from around the world.

The former Barcelona forward admitted some Serie A clubs showed an interested after his successful spell with Inter between 2009 and 2011.

He guided the Italian giants to the treble under Jose Mourinho but he insists the project at Goodison Park under Roberto Martinez was too good to turn down.

“I met certain clubs in Italy, who offered me a chance to return to Serie A,” he said at his official Everton unveiling.

“But at this stage, towards the end of my career, the most important thing was to find a club that would allow me to do what I wanted most, which was to play football and let me share my experience.

“I met Roberto and we had the same passion for football and for how the game should be played, and that’s why I took the decision.”

Martinez will be hoping Eto’o can work well with Romelu Lukaku and fire the club to glory this season. Everton can be backed at 19.00 to win the FA Cup in 2014-15.