He scored Barcelona’s decisive goal just before halftime to tie the game at 1-1 against Galatasaray at Ali Sami Yen Stadium, and celebrated in a way that showed a disregard for danger, a lack of fear, and absolute self-confidence. And this season is unfolding in an amazing way for João Cancelo. The fullback who, at times, makes you wonder which is his stronger foot—if one even stands out over the other—but that matters little to the coach and the team that are enjoying his play.
The Portuguese player gained momentum from his recent Nations League matches, despite the turmoil caused in his home country’s national team by the Cristiano Ronaldo situation. And after scoring two goals in consecutive matches there, against Denmark and Norway, he scored again on a night when, even if only briefly, things seemed to be going a bit awry for the Catalans.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Barcelona is sacrificing De Jong to save money
Galatasaray scored two goals, one of which counted, and Barcelona seemed to have their backs against the wall in one of the toughest and noisiest away stadiums any team can face; however, Cancelo showed the way. Gordon’s brilliant move—he knew he was exposed and let the ball go through—allowed the international fullback to find the back of the net with a stunning shot for the temporary 1-1 lead, before the Catalans completely dominated the Turks to make it 4-1 in the second half.
Counting the goal he scored in this season’s LaLiga, in the impressive 7-2 victory over Racing Santander, the 32-year-old soccer player has four goals so far this season, as of mid-November.
The way he celebrated at “Ali Sami Yen,” in front of the hostile crowd—pointing to his heart to make it clear to everyone that you can never write off Barcelona after just one bad half— is what we call, in the year 2026… aura.
And he’s been building on that ever since he worked with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Even though the two of them parted ways on less-than-friendly terms. Even so, despite what was said to have happened between them and the rumored arguments, there is mutual respect. And Cancelo made sure to hold on to the most important thing from those difficult and strange days on the blue side of Manchester.
“I’m just a strong-willed person with a strong personality, just like him. We had our differences—not conflicts or tension—we just saw things differently. Each of us always chose our own path, and I’m truly glad I got to work with him.
He helped me mature as a soccer player and as a person, and there was a point when I felt incredibly important to the team,” the Portuguese player had said in the past, and he knows very well how much he gained as a person from the Catalan.
*photo source: AR
