João Cancelo has criticized the management of his club Manchester City, accusing them of being "ungrateful" and of "spreading lies" about him to justify his departure. The Portuguese right-back is currently playing on loan for Barcelona until the end of the current season after having spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayern Munich. Cancelo was a key player under Spanish coach Pep Guardiola at Manchester City before his sudden move to Bayern Munich in January 2023. Reports then emerged that Cancelo, who fell behind teammates Rico Lewis and Nathan Aké in the hierarchy, was creating a negative atmosphere in the English club's dressing room.
In response, the 29-year-old Cancelo told the Portuguese newspaper (A Bola): "There have been many lies about me, I wasn't a bad teammate, and you can ask Aké or Rico Lewis; I had no inferiority or superiority complex towards them." He added: "Manchester City was not grateful to me when they said that, even though I was an important player throughout my years with the team. I never fell short in my duties to the club and its fans; I always gave my best effort."
Cancelo moved to Manchester City from Juventus for £60 million ($75 million) in 2019 and contributed to the English team's back-to-back Premier League titles in 2021 and 2022. He continued to defend himself, recalling: "I remember my house was robbed at gunpoint, and the next day I was with the team against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium." He added: "I cannot forget that situation; I left my wife and daughter alone at home, and they were very frightened."
João Cancelo concluded his statements: "People will not remember that because Guardiola has more influence than I do, and I prefer to keep such matters and situations to myself." Meanwhile, the British news agency (PA Media) has reached out to Manchester City management for a response to the Portuguese international's statements.
