Joao Cancelo has criticised his parent club Manchester City and accused manager Pep Guardiola of telling lies about him.
The 29-year-old, currently on loan to Barcelona from the English champions, opened up about the situation he faced in Manchester in an interview with Portuguese publication A Bola.
He denied reports that Guardiola was unhappy with his reaction to being dropped from the starting 11, saying he has no “superiority complex”.
“Lies were told! I’ve never been a bad teammate for them and you can ask either [Nathan] Ake or Rico [Lewis]. I don’t have any superiority or inferiority complex. But that’s the manager’s opinion,” Cancelo said.
“I stayed because it’s not true. I think Man City were a bit ungrateful about me when they said that because I was a very important player in the years I was there.”
Cancelo said Guardiola holds a lot more power than he does and added that he feels he made the right decision by going on loan to Barcelona.
“I never failed in my commitment to the club. I always gave everything to it,” he said.
“I remember a time when I was robbed and attacked and the next day I was playing at the Emirates against Arsenal,” he said, mentioning that he left his terrified wife and daughter at home alone.
“Mr Guardiola has much more power than me when he says something and I prefer to keep to myself,” he said.
“Certain things dictated that I was loaned out last year. I have no regrets, even if City won the Champions League. I feel like I made the right choice to go to a club that wanted me even before renewing my contract. It was a club that gave me a lot in the six months I was there.”
Cancelo’s future for next season and beyond remains up in the air, with the player due to return to City after the current campaign.
Pictured above: Joao Cancelo.
Image source: @FabrizioRomano
