Manchester City and Joao Cancelo will reunite for the first time since he left the club in 2024 in the Club World Cup last 16.
It’s been a great summer so far for Manchester City, who have enjoyed success in the transfer market and on the pitch in the Club World Cup.
New signings Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki have hit the ground running and Pep Guardiola’s side were the only team to win all of their group games.
The 5-2 demolition of Juventus on Thursday was their best performance yet, with Ait-Nouri and Jeremy Doku particularly impressing with their budding partnership on the left flank.
City finished top of Group G with the win and avoided a last 16 encounter with La Liga icons Real Madrid, a match that could well be the final instead.
The Blues will have to get there first, though, and they instead play Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in their first knockout game.
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Al-Hilal have some familiar faces in their side with the likes of Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly, all three of whom have been linked with moves to the Etihad Stadium over the years.
But one of their players who did play for City and enjoyed great success is Joao Cancelo.
The versatile full-back was a star in Manchester but suffered a sudden fall from grace that saw him loaned out twice before eventually being sold to Al-Hilal in 2024. Here’s what happened.
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Joao Cancelo in action for Al-Hilal against Real Madrid.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
What happened to Joao Cancelo at Manchester City?
City bought Cancelo for £60m from Juventus in 2019 – though Danilo headed the other way for £30m – and it initially took him time to get going in the Premier League.
In fact, after he was left out of the squad for the 2020 Carabao Cup final victory over Aston Villa, speculation that he could leave the club began to surface.
That departure didn’t happen and Cancelo eventually began to find his place in the side. He found a home at left-back, often coming into midfield where his close control and tight passing were useful, and enjoyed a sublime 2021-22 season.
Cancelo appeared untouchable going into the 2023-24 campaign and started the first 12 league games.
However, things suddenly started going awry and the Portuguese found himself twiddling his thumbs on the bench, usurped by Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji.
The rapid demotion came out of nowhere and suggested a rift had formed between him and Guardiola. With the January transfer window approaching, it was reported that Cancelo would be heading for the exit.
He joined Bayern Munich on loan for the rest of the season, even coming up against City in the Champions League, and missed out on his old side winning the treble.
Cancelo did return the next summer and put in some good performances in pre-season but there was no way back for him. He would join Barcelona for the season before signing for Al-Hilal permanently in a £21.1m switch.
What Joao Cancelo said about his relationship with Pep Guardiola
After Cancelo departed for Germany, there was strong speculation that he had fallen out with Guardiola, leading to his quick and shocking departure.
However, Cancelo vehemently denied those reports and explained how a civil conversation with Guardiola led to his exit due to frustrations over a lack of minutes.
When asked about the rumours of a falling out, Cancelo said, via Mundo Deportivo: “It’s a lie that I had a fight with Guardiola, a complete lie.
“I didn’t feel important to the team in recent games. I spoke with the manager and he agreed. The manager, the club, and I decided that I had to leave, that it was the best option for me.
“I like new opportunities and I have nothing against City. There, I took the step to reach the level I wanted to reach.
“I became the player I am today and I am very grateful to Pep and the club. They gave everything to me and my family, and I will never forget it.”