- Cancelo is on loan in LaLiga with Barcelona after falling out with Pep Guardiola
- He was booed by Man City fans on his return to the Etihad in April 2023
- Manchester United should play at Wembley for two years, tear down Old Trafford and build a Tottenham-esque stadium – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Joao Cancelo showed no love for his de facto Manchester City replacement Josko Gvardiol during a blind-ranking challenge.
The social media craze sees participants place footballers, who appear at random, in a list from one to 10 without knowing the next star that will appear.
The Portugal left-back, who is on loan at Barcelona from City, wasted no time in sending Gvardiol to the bottom of the list when his was the first face that popped up on screen.
The 22-year-old was a big-money addition from RB Leipzig. He started slowly but has nailed down a place in Pep Guardiola‘s starting XI at left-back, despite being known for his talents in the centre of defence before he moved to the Etihad.
Gvardiol netted a brace in City’s 4-0 win over Fulham last weekend – his fourth goal in five games for the defending champions.
Joao Cancelo had no hesitation sending Josko Gvardiol to the bottom of his blind-ranking
The Croatian defender is in a rich vein of form for City and netted twice in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Fulham
City fans leapt to the defence of their current star and accused Cancelo of being salty and jealous
Meanwhile, Cancelo has found his feet in Barcelona, having endured an unsuccessful loan spell with Bayern Munich in his first stop after being shipped out by City.
Despite starring in previous seasons, the 29-year-old was swiftly shown the Etihad door after falling out with Guardiola over his displeasure at a lack of gametime.
Cancelo was booed on his return to Manchester last April when he came on as a substitute for Bayern during a Champions League tie.
Therefore, it’s little surprise City fans do not retain much love for him, despite his often jaw-dropping displays in a light blue shirt.
‘What’s with the salt from him,’ wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter.
Another said: ‘Jealousy.’ A third commented: ‘He does make it easy to not regret selling him doesn’t he? He’s proved against PSG he’s as defensively sound as a sandwich in the ocean, glad Gvardiol is in to show what a real defender looks like.’
His top-five in the blind-ranking challenge were Roberto Carlos, Frank Lampard, Antoine Griezmann, Hernan Crespo and Thiago Silva in top spot.
The versatile defender is still under contract at City on a deal that runs until 2027. There is little chance he will play for a competitive game for the club again.
As for Gvardiol, he has become a vital player for Guardiola’s men in recent weeks as they bid to become the first team in the history of the top-flight to win four consecutive league titles.
The Spanish boss was characteristically considered in his praise of the young defender’s performance at Craven Cottage, admitting that things were ‘uncertain’ for him in the early days at the club.
‘He arrived and in some periods he was confused,’ Guardiola said of his slow start. ‘He lost a lot of balls. Every time he had the ball, he wanted to make exceptional things [happen].’
Canelo has had a productive season with Barcelona, having failed to settle in his first loan spell at Bayern Munich
One fan claimed that his comments have made it easy for City fans to be at piece with his departure
Pep Guardiola admitted that Gvardiola made a slow start to life in Manchester but has praised his performances of late
He added: ”In the second half, he didn’t play good. He lost a lot of balls. With defenders, the main important thing is to be safe; playing simple is the most difficult thing in football.
‘And after if he scores goals, he is more than welcome – but that’s not his job. His job is to be a defender and play safe.’
