João Pedro Cavaco Cancelo (born 27 May 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a full back for La Liga club Barcelona, on loan from Premier League club Manchester City, and the Portugal national team.
After coming through Benfica's youth academy, Cancelo began playing for the club's reserve team in 2012 and was promoted to the first team two years later. He was subsequently loaned to La Liga club Valencia during the 2014–15 season, before the move was made permanent in 2015. Cancelo was on loan to Serie A team Inter Milan during the 2017–18 season, in which he was included in Serie A's Team of the Year. Cancelo's performances sparked the interest of Italian rivals Juventus, who signed him in 2018 for a reported fee of €40.4 million. During his stint with Juventus, Cancelo won the league and the Supercoppa Italiana in his first and only season.
In 2019, Cancelo was signed by Premier League club Manchester City. He has since won three Premier League titles, the EFL Cup and the UEFA Champions League with the club. In the 2020–21 season, he played a significant role in Manchester City reaching their first ever UEFA Champions League final.
Cancelo made his senior debut for Portugal in 2016 after previously being capped by the nations's all youth team levels, winning 75 caps and scoring three goals overall. He was also part of Portugal's under-21 team that reached the 2015 UEFA European Championship Final. He was chosen in Portugal's squad for the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals on home soil, winning the inaugural edition of the competition with his nation.
Club career
Benfica
Born in Barreiro, Setúbal District, Cancelo started playing football with local club Barreirense. He joined Benfica's youth system in 2007 at the age of 13, where he played at full back.
On 28 July 2012, Cancelo made his debut with Benfica's first team in a friendly against Gil Vicente where he played the full 90 minutes as a right back. Despite being registered with the reserve team, he was touted as a possible replacement to Maxi Pereira in the seniors; until 2013 he also represented the juniors, and on 18 May of that year he scored the two decisive goals in a 2–1 win over Rio Ave to win the national championship.
Cancelo played his first competitive game with Benfica's main squad on 25 January 2014, coming on as a late substitute in the 1–0 home success against Gil Vicente for the Taça da Liga, which was later won. His maiden appearance in the Primeira Liga occurred on 10 May after they had already been crowned league champions, and he started in a 2–1 loss in O Clássico against Porto.
Valencia
2014–16: Debut season and regular starter
On 20 August 2014, Cancelo joined Valencia on a one-year loan with the option to purchase for €15 million. Although his economic rights were owned by Peter Lim, a loan was arranged to take him to Valencia due to Lim's purchase of the latter club. His La Liga debut occurred on 25 September, playing the entirety of a 3–0 home win over Córdoba; He initially started as a substitute and appeared in the round of 16 round of the Copa del Rey in the first leg against Rayo Vallecano. He would also occasionally move to the right wing and later his good performances, specially against Levante on 12 April 2015, in which he was awarded the man of the match. Throughout the season, he was used a second-choice right back behind Antonio Barragán, finishing the season with 13 appearances, across all competitions. Cancelo's performances helped Valencia reach Champions League, leading on 25 May, Cancelo agreeing to a permanent contract with the Spanish club until 30 June 2021, for a transfer fee of €15 million.
In the following season, Cancelo became a starter earning his debut in the UEFA Champions League on 16 September, where he scored his first goal for Los Che in a 2–3 home loss to Zenit Saint Petersburg. In doing so, he became the fifth youngest scorer in the history of Valencia in the Champions League (aged 21 years and 107 days). On 2 December, Cancelo scored his first goal Copa del Rey in a 3–1 victory over Barakaldo. Valencia was eliminated from the tournament after losing 8–1 on aggregate to Barcelona. He also netted for the first time in the league the following 20 April to conclude a 4–0 win over Eibar at the Mestalla Stadium.