FC Barcelona presented Joao Cancelo this Tuesday as a winter reinforcement for the team led by Hansi Flick. The Portuguese international returns a year and a half after his first season, again on loan to provide a quality replacement for Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde on the flanks.
The presentation event at President Joan Laporta's office was delayed by about three hours, due to a delay in paperwork with Al Hilal. The club had to delete content from its social media related to the signing of Cancelo for bureaucratic reasons, but the operation was finally completed as planned.
Joao returns for six months, with no purchase option, and after accepting a salary reduction with Al Hilal. In total, Barça will pay around 4 million euros for the signing of the 31-year-old full-back, who, barring any surprises, will be the only Blaugrana reinforcement this January.
Joao Cancelo understands his role in Flick's Barça and hopes to win titles
In his first season, also on loan, the Barreiro native played **42 games in which he scored 4 goals and provided 5 assists**. However, he could not win any titles that year, and the Portuguese player, at his presentation, did not hide his desire to help the team continue to win trophies in Flick's era, while understanding his role in a very consolidated squad.
"Barça is a winning club. This club lives for titles. The guys have grown a lot. Now they are better and the squad is stronger than when I was here. I want to enjoy myself, perform, and help the team improve if possible. I didn't have the luck to win titles when I was here and I want to win," the defender began by saying.
In that regard, he acknowledged having spoken with Flick, to whom he made his intention clear to play wherever the manager needs him. "I am available for any position. I am going to give my all. I feel comfortable as a right-back and as a left-back."
Regarding his current condition, he added: "Physically I feel good. I was unlucky to get injured in September, but I'm ready to play." Due to the limit on foreign players in the Arab league, Simone Inzaghi left him out of the squad in October, but Joao played some matches in the Asian Champions League (4) before leaving Al Hilal.
Likewise, Cancelo is confident he will continue to improve his defensive game (his Achilles' heel) and quickly adapt to Flick's ideas. "I'm here to understand my space. I'm going to train to play. Jules, Balde, Gerard Martín, and Eric are doing very well. I like challenges," he warned.
Cancelo reaffirms his love for Barça and reveals how his return came about
On the other hand, the 31-year-old player made it clear that, although he had other offers to leave Al Hilal, upon learning of Barça's interest, he did not hesitate to wait for the Blaugrana team.
"It caught me by surprise (the possibility of returning). The Al-Hilal manager first told me one thing and then another. **I could play here forever. When Deco called me, I told my girlfriend I would wait until I could sign**," explained Joao, who also praised the work done by Hansi Flick.
"What I like is how the team plays. It's an attacking and possession-based team. I'm more about attack and this suits me well. The guys are doing great, playing good football," said the Portuguese international, who has always made his affinity with the club clear.
Cancelo wanted to sign for Barça when he left Valencia in 2018, but Juventus beat the Catalans to it. "Almost all my idols were from Barça. I played with Benfica in the youth academy against Barça teams. I identify a lot with the club's culture. I only spent a year here, but I feel at home returning".
Finally, he recalled his good relationship with most of the squad players, especially with Raphinha and Ronald Araujo. Regarding Lamine Yamal, he believes his evolution has been tremendous. "If he's not the best, he's in the top 3. He's doing very well and the jersey doesn't weigh him down."
He also expressed his excitement about playing at the Spotify Camp Nou, as Barça played their home games at Montjuïc during his only season there. "I've been looking forward to it for a long time. **When I saw Dani Alves play there, I wanted to do what he did**. It's something I've wanted for a long time."