Barcelona announce Joao Cancelo signing for a second time – Football España

Barcelona have announced the signing of Joao Cancelo for a second time in two days, after some confusion on Tuesday. The Portuguese full-back will have a second spell at Barcelona 18 months after his exit from a first loan.

Cancelo’s signing was announced on Monday, having passed a medical in the Catalan capital, with the press called for his official presentation at 13:30 the following day. However the club then cancelled the press conference nearly 90 minutes later, and also deleted the announcement. The delay was allegedly down to Al-Hilal requesting some incomplete documentation.

Cancelo’s first spell at Barcelona

The 31-year-old had a mixed first spell on loan from Manchester City in the 2023-24 season, Xavi Hernandez’s final year at the club as manager. Originally starting on the right side of defence, before being move to the left side, Cancelo impressed with a number of strong performances going forward. However that impact faded in the second half of the season, and his defensive shortcomings were exposed as Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League and La Liga title race.