Martins signed a four-year deal with the club despite being linked with moves to teams like Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.

The 24-year-old told Sport reporters he opted for a change of country and league to enable him to put his past behind him.

"This is a great chance for me to get my career back on track," he said.

"A lot of people said I should have stayed in England but my decision was purely on professional grounds and had nothing to do with financial sentiments.

"I had a wonderful time with the fans, players and management of Newcastle United but once I spoke to Wolfsburg, I saw a fresh start.

"Newcastle United will forever stay in my heart just like [his former club] Inter Milan but I have a whole lot of work to do now for Wolfsburg."

Martins was signed by former Magpies boss Glenn Roeder in 2006 after four seasons with Inter.

He scored 35 times for Newcastle, but could not prevent his side's relegation to the Championship at the end of last season.

"I gave my all to the club and the fans know that, unfortunately things went awry on and off the pitch," he said.

"I have fond memories of Newcastle but now am settling down nicely to a new language, culture, team-mates and football.

"The Bundesliga is one of the strongest leagues in the world and I'm very happy to be playing for the German champions.

Martins will join a forward line which also includes the prolific strikers Grafite and Edin Dzeko - who combined for a Bundesliga record 54 goals last season as Wolfsburg clinched their first ever title.

But he believes his arrival will only help the team: "I have faced challenges in the past but my coming here is to improve the club and compete professionally.

"We can do so much together for the benefit of the club and I feel elated having them as team-mates - the future looks very bright."