The Blues striker reckons his self-expectations are more demanding than any placed on him from outside the club.
But he accepts that there is still much to learn about City and the Barclays Premier League before he reaches his peak.
Balotelli, signed from Inter in the summer, made his first Premier League start at Wolves on Saturday a game he ended frustrated and with a booking to his name.
“It was difficult for me on Saturday because it was my first full game after all the injuries,” he reflected before heading to Poland for the Europa League game with Poznan.
Now I have to get as many matches under my belt as possible so I can understand the way the game is played here because it is very different from Italy
...Mario Balotelli...
“The tackles are harder and the referees don’t seem to blow very often for fouls – in Italy, when someone makes contact with you, it’s a foul, but that’s not the case in England.
“It was my first game and it wasn’t easy for me because I need to get to know my teammates on the pitch and understand their movement and that comes with time.”
Despite all that, the 20-year-old Italy international has no doubt where he wants his career path to take him whilst at City.
“I want to be the best player in the world,” he smiled. “It is good to have ambition. I’ve said in the past that I don’t care what other people want or expect of me because I know what I want.
“I will always give everything because I want to become the best. That is my aim and I am determined to make it happen.
“I am here at City to play Champions League football, that’s the competition I want to be in and that is what all the players here want to play in.”
For now though it is Europa League that is occupying is immediate thoughts.
“It is important we progress to the next stage,” he stressed. “We are going to Poznan to win – but that is normal. We want to win every game we play. The quicker we guarantee a place in the round of 32 the better.”
