“I tried to get it out but I couldn't”

For years, the footballer avoided discussing the tragedy that marked his adolescence. However, before participating in the World Cup, Cancelo chose to recall those moments in an interview with the show “Alta Definicao”.

Joao Cancelo: “Those milliseconds changed my life forever”

The accident happened in 2013, when Cancelo was playing for the Portuguese second team from Benfica. In the car were his mother, Filomena, his younger brother and the Portuguese footballer.

“Those milliseconds changed my life forever. I remember a few details. I remember my mother's last scream, my brother crying, he was only eight years old“, Cancelo confessed.

The family was returning home after driving the player's father, Jose Cancelo, to the airport. The footballer's mother was behind the wheel, but the trip turned into a tragedy. The Portugal international told how he desperately tried to save his mother after the impact.

“I tried to lift the car, to get my mother out who was trapped under the car, but I couldn't. I just couldn't do anything. Everything was so dark.

I ran off the freeway, close to a cliff. I tried to use the last bit of power, everything I had to lift the car, but it was impossible,” said Cancelo.

His mother, Filomena, lost her life in the accident, while the footballer and his brother survived.

He did not give up football after the tragedy

Although the tragedy completely changed his life, Cancelo continued his career and became one of the most valued full-backs of his generation.

After his debut at Benfica, the Portuguese played for Valencia, Inter, Juventus and Manchester City, the club where he experienced the most important successes of his career. He later played for Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Al Hilal.

Currently, Cancelo is one of Portugal's veterans and is hoping to add another major trophy to his tally after the Nations League triumph.