João Cancelo lifted the La Liga trophy last night after victory over Real Madrid in El Clásico, becoming the first player to win league titles in four of Europe’s “top five” leagues.
Manchester City’s forgotten man has made history, becoming the first player to complete a milestone that represents the pinnacle of a journeyman’s career.
After clinching the La Liga title with Barcelona, Joao Cancelo has officially conquered four of Europe’s top five leagues. Having already won in Italy with Juventus, three Premier League titles with Manchester City, and Germany with Bayern Munich, he is now just a Ligue 1 trophy away from the full set.
A move to Paris Saint-Germain and he could become the greatest league winner in European history, however that is not likely at the current stage of his career.
While he could return home to Benfica to join the list of players with titles in five different countries, alongside the likes of Robinho (China, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Brazil) and Matej Kezman (Belarus, Turkey, England, Netherlands, Serbia), completing the "Big Five" circuit would arguably be the more impressive feat given the caliber of competition.
Manchester City career
His move to Manchester City in 2019 came after winning his first title, a Serie A title with Juventus in the 2018/19 season, a campaign that convinced Pep Guardiola to bring him in as a replacement for Danilo.
Operating primarily at left-back while Kyle Walker held down the right side of the defence, João Cancelo became a key part of Manchester City’s system under Pep Guardiola. Although naturally an attacking full-back, Cancelo balanced defensive solidity with creativity, frequently pushing into advanced positions to support attacks and overload the midfield.
During his time at City, Cancelo scored nine goals and provided 22 assists across all competitions. One of his most memorable contributions came in the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, when his superb trivela cross set up Erling Haaland for an astonishing acrobatic finish that left the Etihad crowd in disbelief.
His exit was characterised with a reported fallout with Pep Guardiola, who Joao Cancelo spoke about his up-and-down time at Manchester City. That relationship dropped post the 2022 World Cup with the manager preferring different full-back options, mainly Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol who offered more defensive solidity.
All in all, it has worked out for the best for Cancelo as he has gone on to win two more league titles and earned some money in the Middle East.
Add us as a preferred source on Google