Claudio Bravo says he joined Manchester City last month as he had already been told by Barcelona that he would play second fiddle to Marc Andre ter Stegen this season.
The veteran Chilean stopper had shared goalkeeping duties with ter Stegen at the Nou Camp over the past two seasons.
Bravo, 33, made the switch to England after being told by Luis Enrique that ter Stegen was going to be playing La Liga games this season.
Since moving to Barcelona from Real Sociedad, Bravo had been number one choice with the German routinely coming in for cup and European games.
With the prospect of more time on the bench this season, Bravo said he had little choice but to make it clear to Barcelona that he wanted the move to Manchester.
“It was not me that was [first] at Barca, it was Ter Stegen,” Bravo told Cadena SER. “The club made me an offer to renew [my contract] but, seeing their plans, I also made them understand my position.
“I was very sincere; I did not want to sit on the bench. It’s not my thing. And they understood. In Barcelona I always devoted myself to doing my best, I always felt the support.”
Bravo insists that he never had an issue with ter Stegen, 24, during their time together. Duelling for the number one spot brought out the very best in both of them, according to Bravo.
“What appeared in the press – that we had a bad relationship and things were uncomfortable at the end – was not true,” Bravo added.
“It was never a problem, indeed, we both always benefitted from the competition.” Manchester City are 1.62 to win the Premier League title this season.
Leave a comment
Link Dafabet