João Cancelo Reflects on Al-Hilal Experience and Barcelona Success
João Cancelo has barely finished parading Barcelona’s latest La Liga trophy and he’s already revisiting the chapter he’d rather forget.
The right-back, reborn in Catalonia after a turbulent spell at Al-Hilal, has laid bare just how sour things turned in Saudi Arabia. He arrived there as a headline signing, a Champions League-level full-back dropped into a league eager for global attention. The fit, on paper, looked perfect. The reality, he says, was anything but.
“They did not tell me the truth”
Speaking to DAZN, Cancelo cut through the usual diplomatic gloss and went straight for the heart of the matter.
“At Al-Hilal, unfortunately, I had people who did not tell me the truth. They told me I was going to be registered for the Saudi league list, and then, when the time came, they did not do it. After that, I’m always the one left with the bad image… but at least I keep my word, and I would not trade it for anything. I have always been the same way. I am straightforward and I do not hold grudges against anyone,” he said.
No ambiguity. No softening of the blow. Cancelo paints a picture of a player who believed he was central to the project, only to discover he was on the outside looking in when the squad list was finalised.
The flashpoint was the “foreign-player quota” that governs Saudi clubs. Al-Hilal’s allocation left Cancelo squeezed out, a high-profile casualty of a numbers game. For a player used to being a key piece at elite European clubs, the snub cut deep.
A career revived, a future tangled
Barcelona offered a way out and a way back. On loan in Catalonia, Cancelo has re-established himself as a top-tier full-back, blending into a side that demands both technical excellence and tactical intelligence from its defenders. His performances have helped power Barça to the 2025-26 La Liga title and restored his reputation after a stop-start period following his Manchester City exit.
Yet the clarity he has found on the pitch contrasts sharply with the murkiness off it.
Al-Hilal may have sidelined him from their “sporting project” last year, but they are not prepared to simply let him walk away. The Saudi club have put a €15 million price tag on him, a figure that instantly complicates Barcelona’s hopes of making his stay permanent.
For Barça, the stance is clear: they want Cancelo, but only if he arrives as a free agent. In an era of tight financial controls and surgical squad planning, paying a substantial fee for a player whose parent club effectively discarded him from their plans feels like a step too far.
No grudges, but no easy exit
This is where Cancelo’s words take on an intriguing edge. He insists he holds no grudges, despite feeling misled about his registration and his role. That attitude keeps a narrow door open.
If no permanent move materialises and if Al-Hilal cannot secure a buyer at their asking price, the notion of Cancelo being reintegrated into the squad, however unlikely, lingers in the background. The same club he accuses of a lack of transparency might yet need him again, especially if their foreign quota puzzle shifts or injuries bite.
For now, his future sits in limbo. A player thriving in Barcelona colours, owned by a club that didn’t register him, priced at a level his current team refuses to meet.
Cancelo has done his part on the pitch and spoken his mind off it. The next move belongs to the boardrooms in Riyadh and Barcelona. Who blinks first?
