Yaya Toure has criticized the media in England and his native Ivory Coast, believing he's been treated unfairly for his play with Manchester City.

“I have won titles, lots of money, but I am not happy,” said Toure.

Toure told L’Equipe on Monday that his goalscoring record deserves more praise and that he is deeply hurt and sickened by “lots of bitter people who tried to dirty my name.

“Journalists have spoken about a new departure for me,” Touré said. “But what new departure? I have just come out of a season with City where we finished second in the English league, which is the hardest in the world."

Of his goalscoring exploits in the 2013/14 season, Touré added: “I scored 26 goals, 20 in the Premier League, and nobody mentioned it. You understand a bit my disgust. Here, when it is bad, they stress it; when it’s good, they leave that in the dungeon. They have always used their little methods to annoy and alienate me.”

Toure was linked with a move abroad in the summer, after his agent Dimitri Seluk claimed in May that the Ivorian was “90% certain to leave Manchester City.”

In May 2014, Seluk also said that Touré was considering leaving City because he was “treated him with disrespect” after the club failed to address a “number of things that have left Yaya feeling bitterly upset”, which included Touré feeling underappreciated on his birthday.

“People thought that I was going to leave because of all that, but they forget that I am an honest person who keeps his word,” Toure continued. “Even if there were lots of bitter people who tried to dirty my name.

“When I arrived at City, in 2010, I heard a lot of people say, here, that I was going to kill football! The journalists were talking about my salary and saying that it was a disgrace. They asked what I, Yaya Touré, was going to change at City. And so, did you see what happened next? We won nearly everything. In fact, it is recognition that I do not have that hurts me. It is a bit sickening.

“I do not want my two sons in football. I do not want them to have to go through everything that I have endured. It has hurt me. Everyone thinks I am happy: I have won titles, lots of money, but, no, I am not happy."