Newly-signed Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo has explained why he expressed to join the Catalans this window. The Portuguese defender moved to Spain on a season-long loan from Manchester City after he was not part of Pep Guardiola's plans.

According to the reports from Fabrizio Romano, Cancelo said, “I always wanted to play in the Barça shirt and show people who believed in me how difficult it was to come to Barcelona.”

“It’s where I’ve always dreamed of playing. A dream club, all my friends know all my idols played for Barça”,

It has been a challenging time for Cancelo recently. 12 months ago, he was a fully-fledged member of the Manchester City squad, and many expected him to be the first-choice right-back of the Premier League champions ahead of Kyle Walker. However, Guardiola created a system that minimized the influence of full-backs.

Hence, not just Cancelo but even Walker was unable to get first-team minutes consistently. The newly-signed Barcelona player had poor preparation for the 2022 World Cup, and it was seen as the Portugal coach frequently benched him during the Group and the knockout stages. He returned to the Manchester City squad but was still not getting picked by Guardiola.

Hence, Manchester City agreed to send him on a six-month loan to Bayern Munich. His tenure with the Bundesliga champions wasn't fruitful either, as he was second choice behind Benjamin Pavard. Eventually, Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel decided not to make a permanent switch for Cancelo. Now, he would hope that a move to Barcelona will revive his career and make him a good option for his country in the upcoming Euros.