{"id":73354,"date":"2026-08-20T17:53:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T17:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/73354\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T17:53:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T17:53:17","slug":"cancelo-talks-rodri-real-madrid-champions-league-at-barcelona-presentation-going-to-do-everything-to-win-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/73354\/","title":{"rendered":"Cancelo talks Rodri, Real Madrid, Champions League at Barcelona presentation: &#8216;Going to do everything to win it&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After weeks of speculation and some unexpected delays, <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/confirmed-barcelona-re-sign-joao-cancelo-on-a-permanent-transfer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">FC Barcelona finally announced the signing of Joao Cancelo today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 32-year-old Portuguese international returns to the club for the third time, this time on a permanent transfer, after two spells on loan previously.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan from Al-Hilal, the veteran full-back impressed heavily, convincing Deco and Hansi Flick to bring him back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talks with the Saudi Arabian club were complicated, but ultimately, the player\u2019s desire to return to Spotify Camp Nou prevailed as he decided to forego his salary and terminate his contract with Al-Hilal, signing for the Blaugrana as a free agent.<\/p>\n<p>Joao Cancelo eyes the Champions League<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having now returned to Barcelona, Cancelo has his sights firmly set on the UEFA Champions League, a title that has eluded the club for many years now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re on the right track; we have players of great quality. We\u2019re going to do everything we can to win the Champions League,\u201d he said during his <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FCBarcelona_es\/status\/2090423280628904227\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">official presentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regarding his position in the team, and whether he preferred to play on the right or left, the veteran star replied: <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m here to help wherever I\u2019m needed. I want to help Bar\u00e7a achieve our end-of-season goals. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy teammates feel the same way I do. We have a very good squad, with a lot of quality, and I\u2019m very happy to be here. It was a childhood dream. This time it\u2019s for good, and I\u2019m very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Cancelo vuelve a la familia \ud83d\udc99\u2764\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MsEeMlIr4l\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/MsEeMlIr4l<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FCBarcelona_es\/status\/2090427886113021957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">August 20, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Highlighting his pleasure at being able to come back to Barcelona, he added: \u201cI\u2019m very happy. Both my family and I were in no doubt about it. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI really enjoyed my time here; I really identified with the way Bar\u00e7a approach the game. I identify with the culture of this club. I\u2019m where I want to be and I\u2019m very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reiterating the desire to win the Champions League, Cancelo stated: \u201cYes, without a doubt. And if it can be with Bar\u00e7a, all the better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Providing an update on his physical condition, the veteran star remarked: \u201cPhysically I feel great; I was only on holiday for two weeks. I\u2019m ready to play \u2013 whether I do or not, you\u2019ll have to ask the manager. It\u2019s up to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Rodri\u2019s signing and Real Madrid<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cancelo has been reunited with his former Manchester City teammate Rodri at Barcelona, with the 30-year-old superstar arriving earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talking about his signing the full-back waxed lyrical over the midfielder, saying: \u201cRodri is one of the best players I\u2019ve played with in my career. He\u2019s a player who contributes a lot both offensively and defensively. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s here to help; I\u2019ve had a good relationship with him since our time at City. It\u2019s very easy to play with him; he\u2019s here to help Bar\u00e7a. It\u2019s important that the players who want to be here are with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/fc-barcelona-v-al-ahly-sc-joan-gamper-trophy-9-1024x753.jpg\" alt=\"Rodri, Joao Cancelo, Barcelona players\" class=\"wp-image-209892\"  \/>Cancelo was full of praise for Rodri. (Photo by Alex Caparros\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continuing about the World Cup winner, Cancelo added: \u201cThere\u2019s not much to say about Rodri. He\u2019s a brilliant player and he recently won the Ballon d\u2019Or. He could fit into any team and decided to come here. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLike me, he identifies with Bar\u00e7a\u2019s style of play. If he\u2019s fit, he\u2019ll be a key part of our success.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Portuguese international was also asked about the buzz surrounding Real Madrid, following the appointment of Jose Mourinho as the new manager and six big summer signings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m motivated to beat anyone, not just Madrid. I\u2019m competitive. I\u2019ve won many battles in my life and I don\u2019t just want to beat Madrid. We\u2019ve got a great team capable of beating all our rivals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked to name his idols, the Barcelona new signing chose club legend Dani Alves, saying: <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDani Alves is my only role model in my position. I want to do what I used to see him do. The 2009 Bar\u00e7a side, as a team, is the best side I\u2019ve ever seen play. I\u2019ve always dreamt of playing here because I identified with the club\u2019s approach to football.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Titles, competition for places<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cancelo further stated his hunger and desire to win titles with Barcelona, saying: \u201cWhen I was at Valencia, there was a chance to come here but it didn\u2019t work out. And then again at City. I\u2019d had a childhood dream of playing for Bar\u00e7a. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy first spell was bittersweet; I wasn\u2019t at my best and I couldn\u2019t help the club win any titles. Last season, however, was much better. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019d won titles in my career before, but the ones I won with Bar\u00e7a were different. I\u2019m going to give my all for this club to keep winning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Concluding, Cancelo made it clear that he was unfazed by the competition for places in the squad, saying:<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCompetition is good and healthy. We all need to be ready. What can I bring to the team? What you\u2019ve seen: pace, technique, ball distribution\u2026 I want to help the team in any way I can.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI always try to do my best, although sometimes it\u2019s not possible. I\u2019m really excited to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After weeks of speculation and some unexpected delays, FC Barcelona finally announced the signing of Joao Cancelo today.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73355,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[92,222,223,937,82],"class_list":["post-73354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-madrid","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-news","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-joao-cancelo","tag-madrid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}