The Chile international is set to feature in Sunday’s Community Shield meeting with Liverpool at Wembley – his first competitive outing since City’s victory against Chelsea in last season’s edition of the competition.
The 36-year-old, who signed from Barcelona in 2016, says his strength of mind helped him in his recovery from injury and is now intent on contributing to City’s quest for further silverware.
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“Personally, I was very unlucky to suffer an injury that kept me off the pitch for a long period,” he reflected.
“Those complex injuries are tough because they require a long recovery period to get back to your full fitness. I was always willing to be there, to help the team, to play again.
“I was fully aware that I needed to recover as best as possible.
“The only way to do that was through all the hours and the effort I put in, to be able not to feel any pain or discomfort and get back to my normal condition.
“I have always been a very positive person, I have always believed a lot in myself and I always trust myself. I never experienced thoughts of missing out. Quite the opposite.
“I want to contribute to the team. I’m a very competitive person and I always set high expectations for myself.”
City won all four trophies on offer in England last season, an unprecedented feat which included a maiden Premier League title defence, but Bravo insists the squad will improve further in the coming campaign, starting with the Community Shield.
“We had a fantastic season and we managed to win all the domestic trophies,” he added.
“Liverpool had an amazing Champions League campaign and they also did great in the Premier League, they were fighting with us until the end of the season.
“I think it will be a great game, with the best two teams from last season, both in England and also in Europe.
“But I think it’s still early days to tell if we are now the best two teams in Europe at the moment.
“We will see at the weekend and it will be a great opportunity to test our level.”
