João Cancelo

At 30 years old, João Cancelo has this physical status:

Joo Pedro Cavaco Cancelo (Portuguese pronunciation: [uw koslu]; born 27 May 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays either as a fullback or as a wing-back for Premier League clubs Manchester City and Portugal's national team. He is known as one of the world's best full-backs. He is a creative, skilled, strong, and versatile full-back.

Cancelo began playing for Benfica's youth academy in 2012 and was promoted to the club's reserve team two years later. He was then loaned to Valencia, La Liga, during the 2014-2015 season, with Los Ches making the move permanent in the summer of 2015. During the 2017-18 season, Cancelo was on loan to Inter Milan in Serie A, in which he was included in Serie A's Team of the Year. Cancelo's success attracted the attention of Italian rivals Juventus, who bought him in 2018 for a reported €40.4 million. Cancelo won the league and the Supercoppa Italiana in his first and only season during his time with Bianconeri.

He was signed by Manchester City, England, for a reported fee of €30 million (£25.5 million) involving a transfer from Danilo to Juventus in 2019. He has since won two Premier League titles and a League Cup with the club. In 2020–2021, he was instrumental in Manchester City's first UEFA Champions League final appearance.

Cancelo made his senior debut for Portugal in 2016 after being previously captained by the country's all youth teams, winning 75 caps and scoring three goals overall. He was also a member of Portugal's under-21 team that qualified for the 2015 European Championship Finals. He was named in Portugal's squad for the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals on home soil, representing his country in the inaugural edition of the competition.

Personal life

Filomena's mother was killed in a car crash on the A2 motorway in Seixal in January 2013. Cancelo and his brother were asleep and suffered only minor injuries. Cancelo considered retiring from football due to the emotional toll it took on.

In 2019, Cancelo and his partner Daniela Machado had a daughter. Four men burgled their house on December 30th, 2021, looing some of their possessions. Cancelo retaliated in self-defense and suffered facial injuries, but his family members were secure, according to the author.

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Club career

Cancelo, a boy from Barreiro, Settlement District, began playing football for Barcelo, a local team. At the age of 13, he joined Benfica's youth system, where he competed both right and left back.

Cancelo made his Benfica debut in a friendly against Gil Vicente on July 28, 2012, where he played the full 90 minutes as a right back. Despite being registered with the B-side, he was regarded as a potential replacement for Maxi Pereira in the seniors; he appeared for the juniors from 2013 to 2013, and he scored the two critical goals in a 2–1 victory over Rio Ave to win the national championship on May 18th.

Cancelo's first competitive game with Benfica's main squad was played on January 25, 2014, as a late replacement in the Taça da Liga's 1–0 win over Gil Vicente. He made his first appearance in the Primeira Liga on May 10th, after being crowned league champions, and losing in a 2–1 loss in the Clássico against Porto.

Cancelo signed Valencia on a one-year loan agreement, with the option to buy for €15 million. Despite the fact that Peter Lim's economic rights were secured, a loan was arranged to bring him to Valencia due to Lim's purchase of the former club. He made his La Liga debut against Rayo Vallecano on September 25th, winning the entire game against Córdoba; he was initially a replacement and appeared in the first leg of the Copa del Rey; he later started as a replacement and appeared in the round of the 16 round of the Copa del Rey. He would also progress to the right wing and eventually his good results, particularly against Levante on April 12, 2015, in which he was named man of the match. He was a second choice right-back behind Antonio Barragán, finishing the season with 13 appearances in all competitions throughout the season. Cancelo's results helped Valencia win the Champions League, leading to Cancelo's permanent deal with the Spanish club until June 2021 for a transfer fee of €15 million.

Cancelo made his debut in the UEFA Champions League in the following season, scoring his first goal for Los Che in a 2–3 home loss to Zenit Saint Petersburg. He made the Champions League's fifth youngest scorer in history (aged 21 years and 107 days) in doing so. Cancelo scored his first goal Copa del Rey in a 3-1 victory over Barakaldo on December 2nd. Valencia was kicked out of the tournament after losing 8–1 on aggregate to Barcelona. The following 20 April, he scored for the first time in the league, resulting in a 4–0 victory over Eibar at the Mestalla Stadium.

Cancelo's results in the 2016-17 season got marginalized, with Cancelo making some mistakes, causing him to miss a penalty in Valencia's first league match against Las Palmas, a 2–4 loss. Despite his mistakes, Cancelo's results continued to improve, enabling him to be more effective with new coach Cesare Prandelli, whose role was shifted to the right-wing. Cancelo was delegated to the eleventh season throughout the season, appearing in almost identical number of games between the right-back and the right-wing. In a 3–0 victory over Deportivo La Corua, he scored his first league goal on April 2nd. Cancelo made a "shush" gesture toward Valencia's supporters, who had chastised him for his defensive blunders, but he immediately apologized for the gesture.

Cancelo joined Inter Milan on a one-year loan contract before June 30, 2018, with the option of making the transfer permanent. The arrangement was part of a loan swap, with Geoffrey Kondogbia taking the other route. He made his Serie A debut four days later, beating Antonio Candreva in the 83rd minute of a 3–1 victory at Roma, replacing Antonio Candreva.

While on international service, Cancelo sustained a knee ligament injury in late August 2017 and was forced to miss one and a half months. He returned to action following the 3–2 home win over A.C. Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, which featured 20 minutes. Cancelo made his debut as a starter at the Coppa Italia in a home victory over Pordenone after a few weeks of adaptation in Serie A. In a 4–0 home win over Cagliari on 17 April 18, he scored his first league goal with a free kick. His results started progressively improving during his period of transition in Serie A, despite adding some tactical ambiguities, leading him to be included in Serie A's Team of the Year. Despite his good showings during the season, the club decided not to buy Cancelo.

Cancelo was signed by Juventus on a five-year deal for €40.4 million on June 27, 2018, making his domestic league debut against Chievo Verona on August 18th. In January 2019, he claimed his first trophy with the club, which culminated in a 1–0 victory over Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana. He scored his first league goal in the same month as his team came from behind to beat Lazio 2–1 in Rome; he later helped win the decisive match-winning penalty that was later converted by compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo. Cancelo gave Rodrigo Bentancur a helping hand in a 2–0 away victory over Udinese on October 6th. Cancelo scored a 1–0 home win over Mario Manduki in the Derby d'Italia on December 7th.

Cancelo gave his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo a one-one away draw in the first leg of Juventus' Champions League quarter-final against Ajax on April 10, 2019. Juventus eventually lost the match 2–1 and were barred from the competition in the second leg in Turin on April 16th. Cancelo defeated Fiorentina in the Scudetto-clinching match four days later, beating them 2–1 in their eighth consecutive league title after winning their eighth straight title.

Cancelo joined Manchester City in a six-year contract worth £27.4 million, bringing him to Juventus in part-exchange, equaling £60 million, making him the most expensive right-back ever. In a 3–1 win over Kyle Walker in his Premier League debut against Bournemouth on August 25, he made his Premier League debut against Bournemouth, appearing as a late replacement for him. In a 3–1 away victory over Oxford United in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on December 18, he scored his first goal for City in the EFL Cup's quarterfinals.

Cancelo's first season with the team was rough, looking out of place the times he played and failed to secure a starting position against Walker for a right-back start.

Cancelo's debut in the Premier League for the first time this season came after an injury in a 1–0 home victory over Arsenal on October 17th. In a 3–0 home win over Olympiacos in the group stage, he scored his first Champions League goal, and in a 5–0 away victory over West Bromwich Albion on January 26, 2021, he scored his first Premier Lague goal for City in a 3–0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion. After assisting Bernardo Silva in Manchester City's 2–0 away victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach in the first leg of the round of 16 tie on Sunday, he was named man of the match on Sunday.

Cancelo's ability to come back from fullback to hold the ball in a more dependable defensive shape when possession was lost, while also being named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Cancelo scored his first goal of the season for City in a 6–3 home Champions League group stage victory over RB Leipzig on October 17, 2021. Cancelo won 4-1 Champions League group stage home against Club Brugge on November 3rd, earning him the Man of the match award. Cancelo defeated Manchester United 2–0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, causing Eric Bailly's goal and aiding Bernardo Silva for his fifth goal of the season in two games. In a 4–0 victory over Newcastle United on 19 December, on his 100th appearance for the club, he scored a long-range shot and added an assist.

International career

Cancelo was a representative of Portugal in the 2012 European Under-19 Championships hosted in Cancelo. In Lithuania, he was also selected for the following edition.

Cancelo debuted at the 2013 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 Toulon Tournament for children under the age of 20. In the former tournament, he appeared in two games, with the country finishing in the round of 16.

Cancelo was a member of the Under-21 team that competed in the 2015 European Championships. In a final runner-up finish to Sweden, he replaced left-back Raphairo midway through the second half of the 5–0 semi-final victory over Germany.

Cancelo was called up for the first time by head coach Fernando Santos on August 26, 2016, who played the full 90 minutes of a 5–0 friendly victory over Gibraltar in Porto on September 1st and scoring the third goal. He added two more in as many 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra (6–0, home) and Faroe Islands (away, same score).

Cancelo was selected in a preliminary 35-man squad for the finals in Russia in May 2018, but he did not make the final cut in May 2018. Cancelo was chosen for all four matches in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League group stage, assisting Portugal in qualifying for the inaugural Nations League Finals in June 2019. Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in Porto to win the trophy in the UEFA Nations League Finals.

Cancelo was first selected in Portugal's squad for UEFA Euro 2020, but he tested positive for COVID-19 two days before the team's first match against Hungary, and Diogo Dalot was brought to the squad.

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