Emmanuel Adebayor has again stoked the fires with Arsenal fans by claiming he did not join City for the money.
City ace denies Eastlands switch was about financial gain
Emmanuel Adebayor has again stoked the fire with Arsenal fans by claiming he did not join Manchester City for the money.
Adebayor left the Gunners last summer for City in a £25million switch, a move that is believed to have vastly increased his wage packet.
The Togo ace's status has plummeted with Arsenal fans following his defection, culminating in ugly scenes when they visited City earlier this season.
Adebayor insists some fans are simply jealous over what he has achieved in the game and that he left Arsenal for football reasons, not for money.
Jealous
"There may be people who are jealous of what I am about and have achieved in the game, despite my humble background," he is quoted in
Loaded magazine.
"People can say what they want and I will just score goals in a team that wants me to be here, and in front of fans that appreciate me.
"I'm happy at City and people who question my decision to come here can go away.
"To be a part of City's first Premier League title, getting into the Champions League is a great challenge for me. I'm here for the football, not money."
Adebayor admits his final season at Arsenal was a difficult period for him after falling out with fans, although he is now used to criticism and insists it is all water off a duck's back.
Nature
"No-one likes bad things said about them but I am used to it now," he continued. "I refuse to back down if I believe something is right - that is my nature. If people do not like it, then I am sorry.
"I feel I am a good influence on the dressing room and my team-mates and that is the main thing, above all. Sometimes I think I am disliked because I show too much emotion... I'm afraid that will never change.
"My final year at Arsenal was difficult, so it was an easy decision to move. Some of the fans would never forgive me after some clubs tried to sign me a year ago, but what could I do?
"I scored 30 goals for Arsenal two seasons ago and it was all forgotten because the fans decided I was not loyal any more when Barcelona and AC Milan showed interest in me. It was hard to take and there did not seem to be anything I could do to change their mind."
Mistakes
Finally, the 25-year-old concedes he has made mistakes in his life after recently serving a three-match ban for stamping on ex-team-mate Robin van Persie.
Adebayor had conceded he has spoken with the Dutch ace following the incident and that the pair have made up, although he still does not know why he lashed out at the time.
"I think I wish I could not have done that, but we are all human beings and Obama will make a lot of mistakes where he is now," he told
CNN International.
''Cristiano Ronaldo has done a lot of mistakes and Mr Alex Ferguson apologised recently for what he has said against the referee. He just made the mistake, he is a human being, we all do it and we all have to pass through a mistake to be a better man.
"I saw Robin in the tunnel and I told him: 'I'm very sorry for what happened'. He's like: 'Why, why you do that?' and I told him: 'Robin, I don't know, I'm sorry'. And at the time he told me 'OK, it's fine'."
