Portugal international João Cancelo has admitted that he can be a difficult character to deal with as Bayern Munich get ready to take on Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League quarter finals.
Cancelo was considered one of the untouchable at City for a number of seasons. The 2022/23 season came and things changed. Pep Guardiola, the club’s manager, preferred to start centre back Nathan Ake and rookie defender Rico Lewis in the role, effectively relegating Cancelo, one of the most productive fullbacks in the Premier League, to the background.
This was said to displease the former Juventus man a lot and cause tensions in the squad, leading to City shipping him out on loan to Bayern Munich in the winter transfer window. Further reports indicated that it may also be the end of Cancelo at the Etihad, as relations between him and the Spanish tactician have become irreparable.
Cancelo hit the ground running at Bayern but began to peter out in terms of importance just as fast as he showed what he was capable of. Former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann had begun to resort to alternatives before his dismissal. It was then claimed that Cancelo was one of the players who was displeased with the 35-year-old which led to his sacking during the international break.
With the former Valencia man now fighting to prove his worth to Thomas Tuchel, Bayern’s new manager, and preparing to face City less than five months after he left them, he has spoken up about his troubled half season at the Etihad.
“Sometimes it is said that I may not have a very simple personality. But my heart is in the right place. And you can always count on me,” Cancelo said.
“It’s difficult to explain. I’ll try. I’m very impulsive and sentimental and quite possibly easy to read because I always express what I feel.
“Transparent people like me don’t always have it easy in today’s fast and unforgiving world.”
Then he spoke about his time at Bayern so far. “Everyone and everything at FC Bayern is focused on absolute success. Here you work really hard in every single training session – I really like this mentality. I’m happy to be here and to play for this great team,” the defender added.
“There’s always a certain adjustment period for footballers. That’s why I tried to integrate myself into the team as quickly as possible, to get to know the teammates and the system.”
