Pep Guardiola is known across the football world as a perfectionist, a man who never sleeps when it comes to football, a manager who is always chasing improvement even when he has already achieved everything. At Manchester City he built an empire, a dynasty that changed English football forever. Eighteen major trophies in less than ten years, four Premier League titles in a row, a continental treble, and a team that many believe is the greatest the Premier League has ever seen. Players like Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Ederson, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany all left their mark under him. For most of them, Guardiola is not just a coach, he is a mentor, a man who gave them glory and a legacy. But as history has shown time and time again, for every player that sings his praises, there is always another who feels betrayed, pushed aside, or misunderstood. Zlatan Ibrahimovic once called him a coward during their Barcelona days. Yaya Toure said he had problems with African players. And at Manchester City, Joao Cancelo became the latest star to fall out with the Spanish mastermind.
The Cancelo story is one that shocked many City fans because it came from nowhere. For four years, the Portuguese full back was one of the most important weapons in Guardiola’s system. Signed from Juventus in 2019 for £60 million, Cancelo quickly established himself as one of the finest inverted full backs in Europe. He was comfortable on either flank, creative like a midfielder, and tireless like a winger. He made 154 appearances for City, scored nine goals, and registered 21 assists. In 2021 he was voted into the PFA Team of the Year and in February 2022, Guardiola himself described him as a beloved member of the squad. Everything pointed to a long and happy marriage between player and manager.
But by the end of 2022, everything had collapsed. Cancelo suddenly found himself dropped to the bench, his minutes cut short, his influence fading. In January 2023, City sent him on loan to Bayern Munich, a move that raised eyebrows everywhere. Why would Guardiola let one of his most consistent players leave in the middle of the season? When Guardiola was asked, he hinted that Cancelo’s reaction to being left out of the starting eleven was the problem. In other words, he suggested Cancelo had attitude issues, that he could not handle competition from Nathan Ake or young Rico Lewis. That was the official line from the club.
But Cancelo was furious with that version of events. He felt betrayed, painted as the villain, accused of being a bad teammate when in his eyes he had always been professional, always given his all. Speaking to Portuguese outlet A Bola after joining Barcelona on loan in the summer of 2023, Cancelo hit back strongly. Lies were told, he said. Lies that damaged his image. He insisted he had never been a bad teammate, that both Ake and Lewis could confirm he treated them with respect and had no superiority or inferiority complex towards them. He said Manchester City had been ungrateful because he had been a very important player during those years, always committed to the fans, to the club, to the cause.
Cancelo even reminded people of a personal sacrifice that underlined his dedication. In 2021, he and his family were victims of a violent robbery at their home. His wife and daughter were left terrified, he was left injured, yet the very next day he played away at Arsenal. That, he said, showed his commitment, his heart for the badge. And yet in the end, he was discarded and painted as a problem. Cancelo admitted Guardiola’s power in the media meant people would always believe the manager’s side of the story, but he stood by his truth. He said he is a transparent person, one who never lies, and that he left City knowing he had given everything.
Despite the bitterness, Cancelo still showed love for Manchester City as a club. He said he wished them well, that he enjoyed his football there, and that they remained favourites to win the Champions League. But his admiration for the club was separate from his feelings about Guardiola, whom he clearly felt had exiled him unfairly and told lies about the reasons.
By 2024, Cancelo’s time at City was over for good. The club sold him permanently to Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal in a £21 million deal. Aged 30, he moved to the Middle East, a far cry from the Champions League nights and Premier League title races he once thrived in. Many felt his best years were behind him, but what lingered even more than his footballing decline was the bitterness of his exit from the Etihad.
Cancelo’s story adds to the complex history of Pep Guardiola’s relationships with players. For all the glory and genius he brings, for all the trophies and records, he is not a man who compromises when he senses even the smallest issue. If he feels a player is not fully aligned with his vision, he will cut them off, no matter their talent, no matter their past contributions. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Yaya Toure, Leroy Sane, and now Joao Cancelo – all examples of players who thrived under him at first but then fell out of favour dramatically. Guardiola builds dynasties, but he also leaves behind casualties.
For Cancelo, the pain of being labelled a bad teammate is perhaps what cut the deepest. He prided himself on his professionalism, his versatility, and his consistency. To be dismissed with a narrative that he had attitude problems felt like disrespect to him. He wanted the world to know his side, to defend his name, to fight back against what he saw as Guardiola’s lies.
Looking back, the cracks may have started with Guardiola’s obsession for constant tactical tweaks. In 2022, Guardiola was experimenting with using centre backs like Ake, Stones, and Akanji as inverted full backs, pushing Cancelo aside for tactical reasons rather than personal ones. But instead of framing it as a tactical decision, the message that came out was that Cancelo reacted poorly, and that was why he was let go. For Cancelo, that crossed a line. It was not just about football anymore, it was about integrity, about truth.
Fans were divided. Some sided with Guardiola, arguing that the manager always puts the team first and that no player is bigger than the club. Others sympathised with Cancelo, pointing out how valuable he had been and questioning why a player of his quality would suddenly be frozen out. For neutral observers, it became another chapter in the Guardiola paradox – a genius manager who demands perfection but sometimes creates enemies in pursuit of it.
Even now, with Cancelo far away in Saudi Arabia, his words still echo. Lies were told, he said. Guardiola exiled him, he said. And those words stand in contrast to the many glowing testimonies from other City legends who praise Guardiola endlessly. It highlights the complexity of football relationships, where one man’s hero can be another man’s villain.
Cancelo’s fall from grace at City will always be remembered as one of the more shocking player-manager breakdowns of Guardiola’s era. From being described as a beloved player to being loaned out within months. From being a creative heartbeat in the team to being told he had reacted badly. From giving his all on the pitch, even in the darkest personal times, to being cast aside and branded ungrateful.
Football can be cruel, and stories like Cancelo’s remind fans that behind every trophy and every glory moment there are players who feel forgotten, disrespected, and hurt. Guardiola may never speak openly about what really happened, Cancelo has already spoken his truth, and fans will forever debate whose version to believe. But one thing is certain – the relationship that once looked strong enough to last for years ended in bitterness and accusations, and that will forever leave a mark on Manchester City’s history.
