Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure believes he is not getting the credit he deserves -- particularly from the English media.
Toure, 32, has helped City move to the top of the table in the Premier League this season and he thinks he was unfairly criticised as they failed to defend their title last term.
In a lengthy interview published in L'Equipe on Monday, he has hit back at his critics in England and also those in the Ivory Coast who have questioned his commitment to the national team.
Toure feels that English journalists focus on negativity, while he does not accept that his club form dipped to any great degree last season.
"In the past few weeks, journalists have spoken of a fresh start for me," Toure said. "But what fresh start? I've come out of a season where City finished second in the Premier League, which is the most difficult [league] in the world.
"I scored 12 goals even though I had to leave my club to join my national team who were taking part in the African Nations Cup.
"I was away for almost two months and they reproach me for not having scored as many goals as the season before? The season before, as it happens, I scored 26 goals -- 20 in the Premier League -- and nobody mentioned it. You can understand my disgust a little bit."
Toure joined City from Barcelona for a reported fee of £24 million in 2010 and he feels he has not been recognised for proving people wrong after making the move.
"Journalists talked about my salary, saying it was a disgrace," he said. "But I only came to the club to help it develop and to win titles. A lot of people -- stupid, I have to say -- made fun of me when I said that.
"They asked what I, Yaya Toure, was going to change at City. And did you see what happened after that? We won nearly everything."
The former Olympiakos and Monaco player struggles to believe that the media are still criticising him for "insignificant things" even though he is doing "more and more."
Asked why he did not express his frustration by granting an interview to English media outlets, he said it was because continuous attacks from them had seen him become withdrawn.
"You know when they regularly put me high up on their pages explaining that I'm the problem, that I have to leave, there's not much to be done," he said.
Toure signed a new four-year deal with City in 2013. Despite the critics and recent reported interest from Inter Milan, he says he has never thought about leaving City or quitting international football, despite being the "most insulted player" in the Ivory Coast team.
Toure won the African Nations Cup in January and City look to be back on track this season but he is struggling to enjoy the success.
"Everyone thinks that I'm happy," he said. "I've won titles, earned lots of money, but no, I'm not happy."