{"id":514736,"date":"2026-01-14T04:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T04:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/514736\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T04:55:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T04:55:08","slug":"joao-cancelo-talks-barcelona-return-flick-lamine-spotify-camp-nou-i-feel-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/514736\/","title":{"rendered":"Joao Cancelo talks Barcelona return, Flick, Lamine, Spotify Camp Nou: ‘I feel at home’"},"content":{"rendered":"

While the news of Joao Cancelo\u2019s signing was an open secret in recent days, delays in paperwork saw the process slightly delayed. It was only an hour ago that the club officially announced his return<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The player signed his contract with the club in a short ceremony and will be a Barcelona player until the end of the season. He arrives to strengthen the full-back positions and thus deepen the defensive depth.<\/p>\n

He will join Hansi Flick\u2019s plans immediately and don the number 2 shirt for the ongoing stint.<\/p>\n

Cancelo\u2019s first thoughts as a Barcelona player<\/p>\n

The new signing spoke to the media after being unveiled as a new Barcelona player, and he began by revealing the goal with which he is returning to the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have come here to help and win titles with Bar\u00e7a. I had the chance to be with the team this morning, and they have received me very well.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel at home at this club. It is the only club that gives me goosebumps when I sign,\u201d<\/strong> he added.<\/p>\n

Cancelo was then asked the story of how the idea of returning to Barcelona appeared and eventually materialised.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spoke to Al-Hilal. They told me there was a chance to leave. There were interested clubs, but Deco called me, and I told them that I would wait for Bar\u00e7a, which was my first choice.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

He also revealed how he spoke to Hansi Flick and what he made of the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve talked to him. This is a very talented team. Some of the kids have become men. They have evolved a lot. I come to help this team, and if it is possible to win titles.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to the manager. I am available for any position. I\u2019m going to do my best. I feel comfortable as a right back and as a left back,\u201d <\/strong>he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I like is how the team plays. It is a team of attack and possession. I\u2019m more of an attacker and this is going well for me. The boys are very good, playing good football,\u201d <\/strong>he added on Flick\u2019s style.<\/p>\n

The defender then spoke on how it was always his dream to play for Barcelona and how he was pleased to get another chance to defend the club\u2019s crest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in Valencia, I had the opportunity to come, but it didn\u2019t happen. Almost all my idols were from Bar\u00e7a. I played with Benfica in the quarry against Bar\u00e7a teams.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI identify a lot with the culture of the club. I have just played a season, but today I came back and I felt at home in the locker room. I have a special feeling for this club,\u201d <\/strong>he added.<\/p>\n

When asked about his fitness and how he felt in terms of his physical preparation, Cancelo said,<\/p>\n

\u201cI physically feel good. In Arabia, there is a limit on foreigners and I was unlucky enough to get injured in September. I\u2019m ready to try to play.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The player then admitted that he did not know what would happen at the end of his loan but that he wishes to win trophies this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to say because I have a contract with Al-Hilal. I want to enjoy, perform, and help the team improve if possible. I wasn\u2019t lucky enough to win titles when I was here and I want to win.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBar\u00e7a is a winning club. This club lives on titles. I was unlucky, but the boys have grown a lot. Now they are better and the staff is stronger than when I was here,<\/strong>\u201d he added on winning trophies.<\/p>\n

The new signing was then asked about his relationship with the dressing room and how he still maintained cordial ties.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith almost everyone. I had a good relationship with everyone. Cubars\u00ed, Ferm\u00edn, Lamine, Raphinha, Araujo.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the best groups I\u2019ve ever had was when I was at Bar\u00e7a. The group hasn\u2019t changed and I\u2019m very comfortable here,\u201d<\/strong> he added.<\/p>\n

Speaking specifically on his competition at full-back positions, Cancelo said,<\/p>\n

\u201cI come to understand my space. I\u2019m going to train to play. Jules, Balde, Gerard Mart\u00edn, and Eric are doing very well. I like challenges.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI always try to improve the defensive part. Criticism is part of football. I accept it to be a better player. I\u2019m here to improve and for my team to help me, as I am to help them,\u201d <\/strong>he added on where he can improve.<\/p>\n

The player then spoke on the recent Spanish Super Cup final and Real Madrid\u2019s sacking of their manager within a day of the defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Super Cup? It was a perfectly fair result. Bar\u00e7a are a team that plays total football, they have a lot of quality up front, in the midfield, and in the defence.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA big club doesn\u2019t want to see another big one sunk. Bar\u00e7a always tries to win, regardless of whether Madrid is right or wrong. We want to win as much as possible to achieve the challenges we have until the end of the season,\u201d <\/strong>he added.<\/p>\n

With the Spotify Camp Nou now reopened, the defender will play at Barcelona\u2019s true home stadium and he expressed his excitement about the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a visitor, I don\u2019t have very good memories. I want to have the experience of playing at Camp Nou. I\u2019ve been waiting for it for a long time. When I saw Dani Alves play there I wanted to do his thing. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve wanted for a long time.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Towards the end of his interaction, he gave his thoughts on Lamine Yamal and the teenager\u2019s talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I spoke to Lamine. He has had a great evolution. If he is not the best, he is in the top 3. He is at the top.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doing very well and his shirt doesn\u2019t weigh him down. There are games that he decides alone. My connection with him? We\u2019ll see it in the field,\u201d <\/strong>he added.<\/p>\n

On what he will bring to the team, Cancelo said,<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I can promise is commitment, work, and giving everything for this club.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Source: Mundo Deportivo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While the news of Joao Cancelo\u2019s signing was an open secret in recent days, delays in paperwork saw…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":514737,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[1386,4444,5727,229826,10214,221,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-514736","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-barcelona","9":"tag-barcelona-news","10":"tag-fc-barcelona","11":"tag-joao-cancelo","12":"tag-real-madrid","13":"tag-soccer","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115891674972590938","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}