FC Barcelona's Joao Cancel
FC Barcelona's Joao Cancel
Joao Cancelo cut a frustrated figure as he marched back to the dressing room while waiting to be presented to the Camp Nou crowd on Wednesday.
Every member of Barcelona’s squad was introduced individually ahead of the annual Joan Gamper Trophy fixture. The Catalan giants secured a 2-1 win over Egyptian side Al-Ahly in the pre-season fixture, with 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim scoring the opening goal against his former club in the 30th minute.
Raphinha doubled Barcelona’s advantage from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time. Zizo pulled a goal back for the visitors early in the second half, while Anthony Gordon spurned the chance to make it 3-1 before full-time after Barca were awarded a second spot-kick.
New Barcelona signing Rodri received the biggest ovation from the crowd prior to kick-off. The World Cup winner, who was named best player of the 2026 World Cup after guiding Spain to victory over Argentina in North America, signed a four-year contract with the La Liga outfit earlier this week after completing a £65 million move from Manchester City.
Another player who was poised to be unveiled to the crowd was Joao Cancelo, who was seen wearing the No. 2 shirt in the tunnel.
However, the Portugal international was filmed storming back to the dressing room as his puzzled teammates asked what had happened. Watch the footage below:
Why Frustrated Cancelo Wasn't Unveiled Alongside Rodri
Joao Cancelo
Joao Cancelo
Per GOAL, Spanish journalist Victor Navarro said Barcelona intended to unveil Cancelo but were unable to because the full-back’s registration remained incomplete.
Press reports confirmed Al-Hilal had agreed with Cancelo to terminate his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season, in exchange for waiving the rest of his dues.
However, the deal with Barcelona has not yet been finalised, meaning Cancelo officially remains an Al-Hilal player at the time of writing.
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho
Cancelo, the former Manchester City defender, spent the second half of last season on loan at Barcelona, playing 23 times and winning the 2025-26 league title in the process.
The 32-year-old is poised to become Barcelona’s new No. 2 but must wait for his unveiling after being denied the opportunity at the last minute on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Barcelona supporters have been labelled ‘shameful’ for booing midfielder Frenkie de Jong during the pre-season fixture.
It’s currently unclear whether the Netherlands international will stay at Camp Nou following Rodri’s arrival. The 29-year-old signed a four-year contract extension with the Catalan club in October.