Manchester City are bigger than Bayern Munich, according to midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. The German international was former Bayern manager Pep Guardiola's first signing at the Etihad Stadium after the Catalan manager decided to swap the German champions for City.
Bayern are one of the biggest clubs in the world, having won the Bundesliga a record 26 times and the Champions League 5 times.
Also Read: La Liga 2016/17: Barcelona didn't sign Ilkay Gundogan due to a failed medical
City, on the other hand, are yet to win the Champions League and have won the league title on four occasions in their history. Despite that, the German midfielder believes that the Manchester-based club are bigger than Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich.
"When I come to the training centre by car, it's already very impressive. Not even Bayern can compare with this, it's in a different league," Gundogan told in an interview with German newspaper Kicker.
"You can see that you have arrived at a worldwide club that wants big things and wants to develop great things in the next few years."
Pressure is high at Manchester City, says Gundogan
Gundogan also provided an insight on what it takes to play for the Citizens and admitted that the "pressure and responsibility" is different at the Etihad Stadium than he had with his previous employers.
The 26-year-old has established himself as a regular under the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager at City. The German has admitted that the expectations are high because of the money involved in the transfers and also cause of Guardiola's presence.
"Accordingly, the pressure and responsibility on individual players is profound. It's something different to Dortmund.
"It is clear here that you are striving for the supreme. The expectation is extremely high because of the transfers and because of Pep, who is the personification of success."
German national team exciting, says Gundogan
Gundogan is one of the key players in City's midfield and has put behind the injury worries he had in the last few seasons. A long-term injury forced him to miss out on Germany’s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which they won in extra time by defeating Argentina in the final.
Joachim Low signed a new contract, which will keep him with the world champions until 2018 and Gundogan claims it is a "great sign" for the national side.
Also Read: Germany announce 25-man squad for San Marino and Italy matches
"It is a great sign. I believe that he has done extremely successful work in the past years and I hope there are many more successful years to come. The team is undergoing a little change, there are new talents and it's extremely exciting," he added.
Germany play San Marino in a World Cup Qualifier, followed by a friendly against Italy on 12th and 16th November respectively.
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