Barcelona star Joao Cancelo names Manchester United superstar as player who ‘annoys’ him most
Barcelona's Joao Cancelo has named Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes the player who annoys him the most.
Cancelo and Fernandes are teammates at international level with Portugal. They played a pivotal role in guiding Selecao das Quinas to Euro 2024 and their 11-game unbeaten run under new manager Roberto Martinez.
However, the Barca right-back (on loan from Manchester City) appears irritated by the Red Devils superstar. He was asked which player in world football annoys him the most (via Barca Universal):
"Player that annoys me the most? Bruno Fernandes."
Whether this stance stems from Fernandes' abilities rather than his personality is up for debate. The Manchester United playmaker is regarded as one of the finest midfielders in European football.
Fernandes, 29, has bagged eight goals and nine assists in 38 games across competitions this season. He's excelled on international duty, with seven goals and eight assists in 11 games under Martinez.
However, Fernandes receives criticism for his sometimes provocative playing style. Premier League legend Chris Sutton named the Red Devils midfielder one of the most notorious divers in European football.
Portugal will hope Fernandes and Cancelo are at their best when this summer's European Championships swings around. Martinez's men prepared for the competition in the best possible way on Thursday (March 21) with a 5-2 thrashing of Sweden in a friendly.
Pep Guardiola was prepared to allow Barcelona's Cancelo to join Manchester United last season
Cancelo joined Barcelona on loan from City last summer and has been a regular starter under Xavi. The 50-cap Portugal international has appeared 32 times across competitions, posting four goals and as many assists.
The 29-year-old fell out of favor with Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola last season. The Spanish coach wanted him out of the Etihad and he joined Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on loan in January 2023.
Barcelona manager Xavi claimed that City had blocked Cancelo from joining the Blaugrana back then. But, Guardiola denied those claims and even suggested he'd have allowed the full-back to join rivals Manchester United (via SPORT):
"He (Xavi) has been misinformed. He is far from reality. We decided that Joao had to leave and we didn't care where, even if he wanted to go to Manchester United, who are our rival."
Cancelo isn't expected to return to City once his loan with Barcelona expires. Reports claim the Catalan giants are prepared to pay €20 million to make his move permanent this summer.