João Cancelo


João Pedro Cavaco Cancelo is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for club Manchester City and the Portugal national team. Mainly a right back, he can also play as a right winger or a left back.
After coming through Benfica's youth academy, Cancelo began playing for the club's reserve side in 2012 and was promoted to the first team two years later. He was subsequently loaned to La Liga club Valencia during the 2014–15 season, with Los Ches making the move permanent in the summer of 2015. Cancelo was on loan at the Serie A team Inter Milan during the 2017–18 season, in which he was included in Serie A's Team of the Year. Cancelo's performances sparked the interest of Italian rivals Juventus, who signed him in 2018 for a reported fee of €40.4 million. During his stint with Bianconeri, Cancelo won the league and the Supercoppa Italiana in his first and only season. In 2019, he was signed by English club Manchester City, in a transfer worth an initial €30 million.
Cancelo made his senior debut for Portugal in 2016 after previously being capped by the nations's all youth team levels, winning 75 caps and scoring three goals overall. He was also part of Portugal's under-21 team that reached the 2015 UEFA European Championship Final. He was chosen in Portugal's squad for the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals on home soil, winning the latter tournament.

Club career

Benfica

Born in Barreiro, Setúbal District, Cancelo started playing football with local Barreirense. He joined Benfica's youth system in 2007 at the age of 13, where he played as both right and left back.
On 28 July 2012, Cancelo made his debut with Benfica's first team in a friendly against Gil Vicente where he played the full 90 minutes as a right back. Despite being registered with the B-side, he was touted as a possible replacement to Maxi Pereira in the seniors; until 2013 he also represented the juniors, and on 18 May of that year he scored the two decisive goals in a 2–1 win over Rio Ave to win the national championship.
Cancelo played his first competitive game with Benfica's main squad on 25 January 2014, coming on as a late substitute in the 1–0 home success against Gil Vicente for the Taça da Liga, which was later won. His maiden appearance in the Primeira Liga occurred on 10 May after they had already been crowned league champions, and he started in a 1–2 loss at Porto.

Valencia

2014–15 season

On 20 August 2014, Cancelo joined Valencia on a one-year loan deal with the option to purchase for €15 million. Although his economic rights were owned by Peter Lim, a loan was arranged to take him to Valencia due to Lim's purchase of the latter club. His La Liga debut occurred on 25 September, playing the entirety of a 3–0 home win over Córdoba; He initially started as a substitute and appeared in the round of 16 round of the Copa del Rey in the first leg against Rayo Vallecano. He would also occasionally move to the right wing and later his good performances, specially against Levante on 12 April 2015, in which he was awarded the man of the match. Throughout the season he was used a second choice right-back behind Antonio Barragán, finishing the season with 13 appearances, across all competitions. Cancelo's performances helped Valencia reach Champions League, leading on 25 May, Cancelo agreeing to a permanent contract with the Spanish club until 30 June 2021, for a transfer fee of €15 million.

2015–16 season

In the following season, Cancelo became a starter earning his debut in the UEFA Champions League on 16 September, where he scored his first goal for Los Che in a 2–3 home loss to Zenit Saint Petersburg. In doing so, he became the fifth youngest scorer in the history of Valencia in the Champions League. On 2 December, Cancelo scored his first goal Copa del Rey in a 3-1 victory over Barakaldo. Valencia was eliminated from the tournament after losing 8-1 on aggregate to Barcelona. He also netted for the first time in the league the following 20 April to conclude a 4–0 win over Eibar at the Mestalla Stadium.

2016–17 season

In the 2016–17 season, Cancelo performances slightly got worse with Cancelo making some errors leading him to commit a penalty in Valencia's first league match in a 2-4 loss against Las Palmas. Despite his errors, Cancelo's performances got better, leading him to be used more often with new coach Cesare Prandelli, with his position being changed to the right-wing. Cancelo was fixed in the eleven throughout the season, playing almost the same number of games between the right-back and the right-wing. On 2 April he scored his first league goal in a 3-0 victory against Deportivo La Coruña. Afterwards, Cancelo made a "Shush" gesture towards Valencia's fans, after criticizing him for his defensive errors, but he immediately apologized for the gesture.

Loan to Inter Milan

On 22 August 2017, Cancelo joined Inter Milan on a one-year loan deal until 30 June 2018 with the option of making the move permanent. The deal was part of a loan exchange, with Geoffrey Kondogbia moving in the other direction. He made his Serie A debut four days later, replacing Antonio Candreva in the 83rd minute of a 3–1 success at Roma.
Cancelo suffered a knee ligament injury in late August 2017 while on international duty, going on to be sidelined for one-and-a-half months. He returned to action during the 3–2 home victory over A.C. Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, featuring 20 minutes. After a few weeks of adpation in the Serie A, Cancelo made his debut as a starter at the Coppa Italia in a home victory against Pordenone. On 17 April 2018, he scored his first league goal with a free kick in a 4-0 home victory over Cagliari.
During his phase of adaptation in Serie A, in which was added some tactical misunderstanding, his performances progressively improved, leading him to be included in Serie A's Team of the Year. Despite his good performances during the season, the club opted to not buy Cancelo.

Juventus

On 27 June 2018, Cancelo was signed by Juventus on a five-year contract for €40.4 million, making his domestic league debut on 18 August in a 3–2 away win against Chievo. He won his first trophy with the club in January 2019, featuring the entire 1–0 victory over Milan for the Supercoppa Italiana. He scored his first league goal the same month, as his team came from behind to defeat Lazio 2–1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome; he also helped win the decisive match-winning penalty later during the same game, which was subsequently converted by compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo. On 6 October, Cancelo provided an assist for Rodrigo Bentancur in a 2–0 away win over Udinese. On 7 December, Cancelo provided an assist for Mario Mandžukić in a 1–0 home win over against his former club Inter Milan in the Derby d'Italia.
On 10 April 2019 Cancelo provided an assist for his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo in a 1–1 away draw in the first leg of Juventus' Champions League quarter-final against Ajax, on 10 April. In the second leg in Turin on 16 April, Juventus eventually lost the match 2–1, and were eliminated from the competition. Four days later, Cancelo played in the Scudetto-clinching match against rivals Fiorentina, as Juventus won their eighth successive league title after a 2–1 home triumph.

Manchester City

On 7 August 2019, Cancelo joined Premier League champions Manchester City in a six-year deal worth £27.4m plus Danilo being sent to Juventus in part-exchange, equalling to £60 million, making him the most expensive right back ever. On 25 August, Cancelo made his Premier League debut against Bournemouth appearing as a late substitute for Kyle Walker in a 3–1 victory.

International career

Cancelo represented Portugal in the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He was also selected for the following edition, in Lithuania.
With the under-20s, Cancelo appeared at the 2013 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 Toulon Tournament. He featured in two games in the former competition, with the country reaching the round-of-16.
Cancelo was part of the under-21 squad that competed in the 2015 European Championships. He replaced left-back Raphaël Guerreiro midway through the second half of the 5–0 semi-final win against Germany for his only appearance of the tournament, in a final runner-up finish to Sweden.
Cancelo was called up for the first time to the senior team by head coach Fernando Santos on 26 August 2016, playing the full 90 minutes of a 5–0 friendly win over Gibraltar in Porto on 1 September and scoring the third goal. In the following month he added another two, in as many 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Faroe Islands.
In May 2018, Cancelo was included in a preliminary 35-man squad for the finals in Russia, but he did not make the final cut.

Style of play

Regarded as a promising player in the media, Cancelo is mainly known for his speed, energy and offensive capabilties, as well as his technique, dribbling skills, creativity and crossing ability. He is capable of playing as a full-back or winger on either flank, although he usually plays on the right. During his time at Juventus, he was considered one of the best full-backs in Europe. Despite his ability going forward, however, his tactical sense, positioning, and defensive skills have been cited as weaknesses in the media.

Personal life

In January 2013, Cancelo was involved in a car accident on the A2 in Seixal which killed his mother, Filomena. He and his brother received only minor injuries. On 23 June 2019 Cancelo's girlfriend Daniela Machado announced that they were expecting their first child.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
11 September 2016Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal3–05–0Friendly
27 October 2016Estádio Municipal, Aveiro, Portugal3–06–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
310 October 2016Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands6–06–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Benfica
Juventus
Portugal U21
Portugal
Individual