Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 7:05 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, January 13, 2026 7:07 p.m.
For the Portuguese right back it is a return to Camp Nou. Joao Cancelo also played for Barcelona in the 2023-2024 season. After Cancelo's name was associated with a move to Inter, Barcelona stepped in and “stolen” him.
The right-back arrived at Camp Nou on loan from the Saudi outfit until the end of the competitive season. He will wear the number 2 shirt
Joao Cancelo, officially presented in Barcelona: “There are certain places you don't forget! Welcome back”
Joao Cancelo, officially presented in Barcelona / Photo: Facebook
The announcement came on the social media pages of the Catalans. It was initially a short ad: a picture of the defender, accompanied by the description “There are certain places you don't forget. Welcome back to Barca, Joao!”. Then followed a video of the signing of the contract, in the presence of Joan Laporta.
Laporta then posed with Joao Cancelo, with the message being: “Cancelo loves Barca and Barca loves Cancelo”
Barcelona press release: “Now it's official”
“Now it's official: Joao Cancelo is a Barcelona player again. FC Barcelona and Al Hilal Saudi FC have reached an agreement for the loan of the Portuguese defender until the end of the season. He will wear the number 2 shirt.
The signing ceremony took place on Tuesday, at the club's headquarters, attended by the president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, the first vice-president Rafael Yuste, the member of the board of directors Joan Soler and the director of the football area Anderson Luis de Souza (Deco), together with the player's family”, the Barcelona team reported on the club's official website.
Barcelona introduced Joao Cancelo once before today, but then deleted the posts because not all the details were worked out.
In his other time at Barcelona he impressed: 42 appearances, 4 goals and 5 assists in a single season.
Joao Cancelo has also played for Benfica, Valencia, Inter, Juventus, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Al Hilal. It is currently quoted at 10 million euros by specialist websites. The competitor for the Barcelona job is Jules Kounde, a French international.
