Former star highlights differences between how Barcelona and Man City operate

Claudio Bravo, a former Barcelona goalkeeper, recently made some surprising comments about his time at the club and how the club operates compared to Manchester City. 

Since leaving Real Betis, Bravo has been without a club, but that has not stopped him from sharing his opinions on the clubs he’s been a part of. 

His comparison between Manchester City and Barcelona paints the Catalan club in a rather unflattering light, describing it as operating like a “small club.” 

Bravo’s comparison between Barcelona and Man City

Bravo explained that while Barcelona are known worldwide as a massive club, with a huge following and global presence, internally, it feels quite small. 

He noted that despite the club’s large stature in the football world, its internal operations are much more limited. He pointed out that within the club, there are only a few familiar faces and not many staff members. 

The team operates with a minimal number of people and the resources within the club are not as expansive as one might expect from such a globally recognized club.

“Barça works like a small club. It’s huge all over the world. Gigantic,” said Bravo as quoted by Mundo Deportivo. 

“Real Madrid and Barça are the biggest in terms of media, the best known all over the world. Asia, the United States, anywhere. 

“But internally it is a very small club. Always the same faces, few people. Players, staff, three or four security guards, cooks and little else,” he added.

Claudio Bravo says Barcelona work like a small club. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

In contrast, Bravo praised Manchester City for its extensive internal operations and resources. He described City as a “gigantic club internally” with seemingly unlimited resources. 

“Manchester City is a gigantic club internally. In terms of resources, unlimited. People in the pool, in the locker room, in the medical area, in the gym. 

“There are a lot of people. They spare no resources and personnel so that the player develops in the best possible way so that nothing is missing. 

“You just worry about playing. We had the best physical trainer. Not just one, not two, three. In the medical area, there are 20 stretchers, not five. There are two or three doctors,” he explained.

Bravo’s time at Barcelona ended in 2016 after he couldn’t agree on new terms with the club. In fact, during his tenure, there were issues with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, his fellow goalkeeper. 

Ter Stegen frequently expressed his desire for more playing time, and he even suggested that he might leave Barcelona if his demands were not met by then-coach Luis Enrique. 

This situation created tension, which Bravo did not appreciate, ultimately leading to his decision to move to Manchester City and join Pep Guardiola’s team.