Moussa Sissoko said he showed what he could do in Tottenham's 1-0 victory at West Ham on Saturday as he targets a return to the France squad.
Sissoko, 29, has struggled to win over Spurs fans since joining from Newcastle in 2016 but was given a standing ovation after setting up Erik Lamela's winner and playing a key defensive role.
"I tried to help the team and I did well so I'm very happy with my performance," he said. "Football is up and down, and you have to try to keep the balance.
"Even the best players in the world sometimes can have a bad moment, but I try to stay positive. When you get criticised, you have to take it positively and try to train more and give more on the pitch.
"I knew all the players and staff were always behind me, and when I had the opportunities to play I've tried to do my best. Saturday was a good afternoon for me, so I'm very happy.
"I'm a midfielder so my job is to help the team and, when I can, try to give some assists. It was a good assist for me, so I'll try to keep going in that way.
"We have a lot of games so we're going to rotate the squad, and when you have the opportunity to play you have to take the chance."
Sissoko played for France in their Euro 2016 final defeat to Portugal but his inability to hold down a starting berth at Spurs meant he was omitted from the squad that won the World Cup.
"I wanted to be part of the squad -- but that's football, and I have a lot of friends there so I was very happy for them that they won the World Cup," he said.
"Now I just need to look forward and try to work hard and hopefully be back in the squad."
Spurs teammate Kieran Trippier, meanwhile, said he had been pleased to see the reaction to Sissoko from the travelling fans at West Ham.
"It's really nice for him because he's deserved it," he said. "People don't see how hard he actually works on the training field, especially when he doesn't play the majority of the games when the manager picks the team.
"He's fully deserved his opportunity and he took it, and I'm really proud of him. It was an outstanding performance from him, and a few of the other boys as well. I'm really happy for them, especially Moussa Sissoko."