UPDATE: Joao Cancelo expresses pride at European record
Speaking after becoming the first player to win all four major leagues, doing so with Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Real Madrid, Cancelo showed his elite mentality.
“It doesn’t surprise me because I know my daily work and the dedication I have for this sport,” he said.
“Football has been my passion since childhood. God always puts things in the right place.
“At Al Hilal, unfortunately, I had people who didn’t tell me the truth, who told me they were going to register me on the Saudi League list and then the day of truth came and they didn’t.
“But then it’s always me who has a bad personality. At least I’m a man of my word. I never change my word for anything. I’m always the same and direct.
“But I don’t hold grudges against anyone. Today I won a title with Barcelona, which for me is the best club in the world, and I’m very happy about that.”
Asked about his future as he’s still on loan from Hilal, he commented: “We’ll see what happens because, as you know, I’m a player on loan from Al Hilal.
“I know what my wishes are, but I can’t say them publicly. We’ll see what happens from now on.
“For me, it’s a unique feeling. Barcelona is a very special club for me, as everyone knows. Before coming here, I was already a Barcelona fan, so winning a league title with this club is very special.”
Joao Cancelo is a league champion again, something he’s very used to.
The Al Hilal loanee has now won LaLiga with Barcelona, the 12th major honour of his career.
What makes this one exceptional, though, is his record across Europe.
Cancelo is now a top flight league champion in Spain, England, Germany and Italy.
Ronaldo eclipsed by Cancelo
He becomes the first ever player to do so in Europe’s big five leagues, a feat Cristiano Ronaldo and Arjen Robben only ever came close to.
The pair won in three different countries, but Ronaldo didn’t in Germany, and Robben didn’t in Italy.
On top of his feat, Cancelo is also a champion in Portugal with Benfica, Europe’s sixth-ranked league, which has on occasion in recent years leapfrogged France’s Ligue 1 into fifth.
Making his achievement even more remarkable is that the Portuguese fullback claimed two of his titles while on loan, this year from Al Hilal, and in 2023 with Bayern Munich from Manchester City.
He’s also won the Nations League with Portugal, and Serie A with Juventus.
Many players have won three major leagues, but none of them among the top four like Ronaldo and Robben.
David Beckham, Claude Makelele, Gabriel Heinze, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all won across Europe’s top five leagues with French titles in their trophy cabinets.
Cancelo could also still become a Saudi champion with Hilal, but that’s looking unlikely with Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on the brink of the title.
As for his future, the 31-year-old has a purchase clause in his loan deal which Barca could still activate.
However, he seems more keen on returning to first love Benfica.
“I’ve already earned more than I expected,” he said in March.
“But playing for Benfica is like playing for Barça, it’s out of love. I’m going to lower my salary [to return].”
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