Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo has criticized coach Pep Guardiola and Man City in the incident that forced him to leave the English team in January 2023.
Coach Guardiola and Cancelo during a match between Man City and Liverpool in the Premier League. Photo: DPA
The Portuguese defender was furious when Guardiola told the media he was unhappy with the performances of former team-mates Rico Lewis and Nathan Ake. "There were lies," Cancelo insisted. "I was never a bad team-mate, and you can ask Ake or Rico. I don't see myself above or below them, but that's the coach's opinion."
In the summer of 2019, Cancelo moved from Juventus to Man City for a fee of about 74 million USD and became the most expensive right-back in history. He took the starting position and became a pillar of the team, but had a conflict with Guardiola since the end of 2022. After the World Cup in Qatar, Cancelo only played five matches and was pushed to Bayern on loan from the end of January 2023. He scored one goal in 21 matches for the German club, but was not retained.
While Cancelo faded at Bayern, Man City rose to win a historic treble, with Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. But the 29-year-old defender insists he has no regrets even though Man City won the Champions League and made the right choice in joining a club that needed him.
In the summer of 2023, Cancelo continued to move to Barca on loan with a buyout clause. This season, the Portuguese defender has four assists and four goals in 32 games in all competitions, including two in La Liga and two in the Champions League. Barca president Joan Laporta publicly expressed his desire to buy the 29-year-old player when the transfer window opened.
Cancelo is happy and sees joining Barca as a special moment. "My whole family is from Benfica, but I've always admired Barca," he said. "All my idols played here, I like the way they support young players and they have a culture that I love. I took a pay cut to come here and that didn't bother me at all. This is the third time I've wanted to come to Barca and I've finally come here."
Hong Duy
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