Former Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson insists Manchester City can be as big as Real Madrid.
Johnson had received interest from Real before deciding to join City last month.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "There's been speculation about clubs interested in me since I was 18. There was even talk of Real Madrid and almost every club across Europe.
"But of all the clubs who made bids, City was the one I wanted to come to and hopefully they'll be as big as Real Madrid one day."
Johnson made an instant impact for City with a man of the match performance and aims to capitalise on the exposure and challenge of the Premier League to earn a World Cup place.
He said: "I hope I can make that jump. It would be unbelievable to go to South Africa with England. It's what everybody dreams about. I want to play on the biggest stage."
