Former Man City star Joao Cancelo is really upset as Barcelona cancels his official on-field introduction.
Joao Cancelo looked really upset when he wasn’t introduced on the pitch at Barcelona’s home stadium, the Nou Camp, on Wednesday night.
Barcelona played against Egypt’s Al Ahly in their yearly Joan Gamper Trophy match and won 2-1.
Before the game started, new signing Rodri, who cost £65 million, got a big cheer when he was shown to the fans in his full Barcelona kit.
Anthony Gordon, who joined from Newcastle for £69 million, also got loud applause when he stepped onto the pitch.
Cancelo was there too, after reports said his deal with Al Hilal was cancelled so he could come back to Barcelona.
But even though he was with the team and wearing the new kit, he wasn’t introduced to the crowd.
Videos online showed Cancelo looking unhappy about not being announced over the loudspeaker.
While other players like Rodri and Gordon were chatting in the tunnel, Cancelo walked past them and threw his arms out in frustration.
Young player Lamine Yamal was seen talking to Cancelo, who wore the No. 2 shirt.
Dani Olmo couldn’t help but laugh at Cancelo’s reaction.
Before the match he was in training clothes, but during the game he sat in the stands next to Rodri and wore his regular clothes.
Cancelo is expected to join Barcelona for good, but there hasn’t been an official statement from the club yet.
Reports say Barcelona wanted to introduce him but couldn’t finish the paperwork in time.
Earlier this week, journalist Fabrizio Romano said the move faced problems with “bureaucratic and tax issues,” but Barcelona is still hopeful it will be completed soon.
According to JijantesFC, Cancelo will be officially announced and presented on Thursday, and they hope he will be ready to play in Barcelona’s first La Liga game of the season against Elche on Sunday.
Cancelo first joined Barcelona on loan from Manchester City in 2023 after a short time with Bayern Munich.
He played 42 games before moving permanently to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia for £21.2 million.
After 45 games in Saudi Arabia, he returned to Barcelona on loan in January and helped the team win La Liga.
At 32 years old, Cancelo has said how much he loves Barcelona. He even said he would rather sit out a whole year without playing than sign for another team.
He said, “Deco knew that either I came here… or I would spend a year without playing while still collecting salary. For me it was clear, Barcelona or nothing. It’s simple.”