I Won 3 Premiere League Titles With Pep Guardiola He Then Lied and I Was Exiled – Joao Cancelo Hit Out at Man City and Pep Guardiola’s ‘Lies
Pep Guardiola is a perfectionist whose constant desire to improve has propelled Manchester City into one of Europe’s heavyweights during his near-decade reign at the Eithad. The Spanish coach has guided the Cityzens to 18 major trophies, including the continental treble and four Premier League titles in a row.
The squad Guardiola has assembled at City is one of the most celebrated in European football history, brimming with talent from top to bottom. The ever-reliable Ederson has held the fort in goal, John Stones and Ruben Dias have been colossal at the back, Kevin De Bruyne has staked his claim as the best midfielder in Premier League history, and Erling Haaland has made a groundbreaking start.
That’s forgetting other high-profile names, such as 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, plus Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Kyle Walker, who have also starred under Guardiola. They all have only fond things to say about the longest-serving manager in the English top flight.
However, Guardiola doesn’t always manage to maintain strong connections with players. His ex-Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a prime example of a world-class talent who didn’t gel well with the only tactician in history to win the treble in two countries.
Joao Cancelo joined that list after a well-publicised fallout with Guardiola that led to his City exit. This was a shock because the Portuguese full-back had been a four-year mainstay in the Sky Blues’ side.
Joao Cancelo Hit Out at Man City and Pep Guardiola’s ‘Lies’
The Portuguese ace lifted the lid on the duo’s spat
Pep Guardiola and Joao Cancelo during a Manchester City game
Cancelo joined City from Juventus in 2019 for £60 million, and he established himself as one of Europe’s finest inverted full-backs. His versatility was remarkable as he flourished as a makeshift left-back and Guardiola could rely on the 60-cap Portugal international to always play for the badge. He made 154 appearances for the Cityzens, registering nine goals and 21 assists.
Everything appeared to be going well for Cancelo and Guardiola in 2022. In February of that year, the latter described the right-back as a ‘beloved’ member of his team after he played his way into the 2020-21 PFA Team of the Year.
However, the duo’s relationship soured in late 2022, and Cancelo fell down the pecking order at the Etihad. He was allowed to join Bayern Munich on loan in January 2023, and his former manager claimed this was because of his reaction to being dropped.
Cancelo furiously hit back at those claims and made clear his frustrations with the situation. He told Portuguese newspaper A Bola last year after joining Barca on loan following the expiration of his Bayern spell:
“Lies were told! I’ve never been a bad team-mate for them and you can ask either (Nathan) Ake or Rico (Lewis). I don’t have any superiority or inferiority complex towards them, but that’s the manager’s opinion.”
He added:
“I stayed because it’s not true. I think Man City were a bit ungrateful to me when they said that, because I was a very important player in the years I was there. I never failed in my commitment to the club, to the fans and I always gave everything. I remember a time when I was robbed and attacked and the next day I was playing at the Emirates against Arsenal.”
Cancelo pointed out that Guardiola had been the catalyst for the issues of his Manchester City exit being laid bare. He still expressed his admiration for the club:
“These are things you don’t forget, I left my wife and daughter alone at home, terrified. People will only remember this because Mister Guardiola has much more power than me when he says something and I prefer to keep to myself. I prefer to know that I am telling the truth, I feel fulfilled with what I did. I am a transparent person, I never lie. Life goes on and I wish everything goes well, because while I was there I enjoyed my football and the team. They remain the favourite team to win the Champions League.”
The defender left City permanently in 2024 and joined Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal in a £21 million deal. Now in his 30s and playing in the Middle East, it seems as though his best years are behind him.
Cancelo Could Have Joined Manchester United
The Red Devils rivalled City for the right-back
Former Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo-1
It could have been all so different for Cancelo had he agreed to join City’s cross-city rivals Manchester United instead. The Red Devils were linked with the Portuguese full-back in the summer of 2019 amid former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent appointment.
TuttoMercatoWeb reported at the time that United were weighing up a £42 million offer for Cancelo while he was still in Turin with Juve. Solskjaer was tasked with overhauling the squad at Old Trafford and needed to find a long-term successor to former captain Antonio Valencia at right-back.
The move never transpired, and Solskjaer instead turned to Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace in a £50 million deal. If Cancelo had joined the club, he would have been battling it out with Diogo Dalot for a starting berth at right-back, as he does at international level with Portugal.
Philipp Lahm (Bayern) in the middle, Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal) and Albert Ferrer (Barcelona)
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