A 28-year-old Portugal international who’s won titles in his homeland, England and Italy, has huge experience in the Champions League and is capable of playing in numerous positions – that’s what Bayern now have in their ranks with João Cancelo. fcbayern.com introduces the full-back who’s joined on loan from Manchester City.
Experience and versatility
Bayern fans can look forward to a player with plenty of international experience. The 1.82-metre tall Cancelo has played for Benfica in Portugal, Valencia in Spain, Inter Milan and Juventus in Italy, Manchester City in England and will now wear Bayern colours in Germany. Predominantly a right-back, the 28-year-old is hugely versatile, capable of playing full-back on either side, midfield or on the wing, where he uses his speed, shooting ability – especially from distance – and fine footwork to add to attacks while also always being capable of chasing down any opponent.
📲 Check out Cancelo’s Instagram account:
Journey to Bayern
João Pedro Cavaco Cancelo was born on 27 May 1994 in the Portuguese city of Barreiro, near Lisbon. After starting out with local side Barreirense, he joined the academy of domestic giants Benfica in 2007. The defender made his senior debut at the age of 19 in a 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Porto on 10 May 2014. That summer he joined Valencia on loan before the move was later made permanent. It was there that he made his name across Europe before another loan to Italy with Inter. He made 26 Serie A appearances in 2017/18, but instead of returning to Spain, he was signed by Juventus.
Cancelo won the league in England in 2021 and 2022 and was regarded as one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
However, his time in Turin only lasted a year before another move to Manchester City. He’s in his fourth season under ex-Bayern boss Pep Guardiola, but will now spend the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign in Munich. Cancelo produced tireless performances in the Premier League, demonstrating his skills in attack and defence over 98 appearances that included five goals and 11 assists. He was also named in the league’s Team of the Season for two straight years.
Cancelo (l.) has played across Europe’s top leagues since emerging from Benfica’s academy.
Fifth major European league
After spells in Portugal, Spain, Italy and England, Germany is the fifth different country where Cancelo is aiming to win silverware. His trophy collection is extensive, having won the English Premier League in 2021 and 2022, as well as the EFL Cup in 2020 and 2021. Cancelo was also part of the Juventus team that won the Italian Scudetto in 2018/19, as well as Benfica’s domestic double-winning side of 2014. The defender also has an international honour to his name with the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019 with Portugal. The one notable item missing from his collection is the Champions League. He’s appeared 45 times in the Europe’s top club competition, contributing four goals and 12 assists. Perhaps that dream can now be fulfilled with Bayern…
Extensive international career
Cancelo won the 2019 UEFA Nations League with Portugal after beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final.
Prior to that Nations League triumph, Cancelo had come through Portugal’s youth teams from U16 level, appearing at the U20 World Cup, U19 and U21 Euros, and coming second at the 2015 edition of the U21s. He played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal fell 1-0 to Morocco in the quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has amassed 41 caps to date at senior level.
Cancelo (r.) played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo (c.) – a former teammate from their time at Juventus – for Portugal at the 2022 World Cup.
Next up for Cancelo is his first game as a Bayern player. Welcome to Munich and good luck, João!
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