"?Samir Nasri says that he left Arsenal for Manchester City in 2011 for one reason only - because City were the better team.
The France international's relationship with Arsenal supporters soured immediately after he made the £25m summer switch almost five seasons ago.
Many Gunners fans believe that the 28-year-old left the Emirates Stadium because the Sky Blues offered him a more lucrative contract.
But Nasri, who has missed large chunks of the 2015/16 campaign with a niggling hamstring injury, has refuted those claims and instead says that City's superior first team squad was reason enough to join them.
"Manchester City were a better team "? that's why I went there. It was my ambition, not because of the money," Nasri told "?football website Goal at a football boot launch party.
"Whether you're a fan or not, people should understand that, if a bigger company calls you, if you're ambitious you're going to go there.
"I had so much love for this club because the fans were amazing towards me then after when I saw all of that [Arsenal fans' anger towards Nasri] I became a little hateful because I was like 'come on, why are they doing this? I haven't done anything wrong to them' and it became this relationship, from love to hate.
"It's a bit sad because I spent three amazing years there - they brought me from Marseille and Arsene Wenger was like a father figure to me, he did everything for me. I'm still on really good terms with him but it's sad to have this relationship now with the club."
The midfielder added that the abuse he receives from Arsenal's fans now just make him laugh.
"People don't understand where I grew up... I came from nothing," he explained.
"Someone who tweets something or boos me, that isn't going to affect me. It's not you telling me I'm a mercenary or I'm a snake that's going to affect me. It makes me laugh and makes me want to prove them wrong even more."