Mark Schwarzer claims former Everton chairman Peter Johnson stopped him signing for the club from Bradford CIty in 1997.
Joe Royle was keen on landing the Australian goalkeeper, who went on to sign for Middlesbrough, but a deal was scuppered by the actions of Johnson, who was chairman until 1999 after initially arriving in 1994.
"Unfortunately at the time, it was a strange situation," Schwarzer told Sky.
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"Joe Royle was the manager and he was very keen on me coming to the club. Unfortunately the chairman of the club was playing, not even hardball, he wasn't the nicest.
"He took it as a bit of a game and I felt he wasn't interested in really signing me but I think Joe Royle pushed it so hard he felt he was obligated to bring me to the club and talk to me.
"Basically, after literally 10 minutes of discussion with the chairman we left the building and never returned."
Schwarzer spent more than a decade at Middlesbrough before enjoying spells at Fulham, Chelsea and Leicester City.
Now 47 and with over 100 caps for Australia to his name, he does not regret turning down Everton for a move to the Riverside.
"It was a very easy decision," he said.
"We had a tremendously successful period of time when I was there, obviously there were some lows, but in general it was a very successful period."
