Former Manchester City defender, Joao Cancelo had an up-and-down time at Manchester City and has shed more light on his relationship with Pepe Guardiola that led to his exit at the club
The Portuguese international had a highly successful stint at Manchester City before falling out with Pep Guardiola.
However, Cancelo has opened up about his relationship with his ex-boss. The good feeling between the two soured towards the end of Cancelo’s City career, this eventually leading to a loan move of Cancelo to Barcelona and Bayern Munich, before securing a permanent move to Saudi heavyweights Al-Hilal in 2024.
Portuguese international was one of the top performers at Manchester City during their Premier League title wins in 2020-21 and 2021-22. However, the relationship with the two deteriorated after he was dropped from the starting line-up following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
The Times reports that the Portuguese defender became so frustrated that he began wearing headphones and listening to music during one of Guardiola’s pre-match team talks. Later the full-back join Bayern Munich on loan in January 2023 until the end of that 2022-23 season, this followed by a year-long loan spell under Xavi at Barcelona in the 2023-24 season.
“We had differences, not a clash, we had different opinions,” Cancelo told Channel 11 (h/t MARCA) when asked about his relationship with Guardiola. “I have a very strong personality and so does he (Guardiola), but he’s the one in charge.
“Each of us took our own paths, but I thank God for having worked with him. I felt important in this group. He made me grow as a person and as a player.”
The 30-year-old former Manchester City player will next be seen in an action with a high-profile encounter with Christiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr on April 4. Al-Hilal are currently in second position in the table, with four points behind leaders Al-Ittihad and six points clear of third-placed Al-Nassr
