Martinez was speaking at the end of the saga that saw him abandon his seat and job at Swansea City for the bright lights of the Premier League and Wigan Athletic.
The move has angered fans who have lapped up his words about needing to be forced out of the club and being at the start of a job with the Swans and many have vowed never to forget the way that the apparantely perfect love match ended.
But Roberto says that he hopes he can be forgiven and told BBC Sport "I'm only asking fans to forgive me and understand me because it's a decision I had to make
"Probably not many people would understand, but in time it will settle a little bit more."
He added: "I wanted that [to be forced out] to happen but obviously there are situations that develop in certain ways and you need to make a decision."
"I would just say to the fans to try to look back at the last two-and-a-half years – I gave absolutely everything.
"My contract has been bought out now and I think the compensation is going to help the football club to get into the next level," said the Spaniard.
"I just want to let the fans know my feelings towards Swansea City will never change."
But Martinez added the lure of managing in the Premier League and for the club where he started his football in the UK was too much.
"Wigan is a football club where I started a relationship back in 1995," he said.
"It's a club that allowed me to come to the British game and we shared huge experiences. Since then, we've had a very special relationship.
"Now to be able to manage the football club in the Premier League at only 35 shows a huge commitment from them and is a great challenge to be able to take."
This article first appeared on JACKARMY.net.