MY ACCOUNT
Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo described the attack on his home late last year as “horrific”.
Cancelo revealed on social media in December that “four cowards” left him with cuts to his face and tried to hurt his family before making off with some jewellery.
The Portuguese full-back on Monday discussed the incident publicly for the first time and detailed the impact it had on his family.
“That’s life, it happens,” Cancelo said ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 meeting with Sporting CP.
“It was horrific. It terrorised my family. For me, I know how to deal with stuff, but my family didn’t deserve to go through that.
“There have been a lot of obstacles in my life and I have had to get over them. I’ve become a stronger player mentally and that’s how I want to keep going on.
“I could drop my head but however much people try to make me suffer, they won’t achieve it. I always like to think positively, that’s how I live my life in the best way possible.”
Despite the incident and its potential mental impact, Cancelo has continued to perform at a high level on the pitch and secured a new contract at the start of February.
That announcement was further evidence of the significant strides Cancelo has made since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in 2019.
Pep Guardiola explained at the time that the former Juventus wing-back had initially struggled to adapt, and Cancelo took full responsibility.
“There were complications with the coach,” Cancelo said.
“I hadn’t adapted to the way the team were playing. Coming from Juventus, who had a different way of playing, I wanted to enjoy football and show my quality but it was more my responsibility than the coach’s. It was my fault.
“I had to adapt to the team’s style of play. As I managed to recover, like I do in life with my desire to win in life and football, I’m happy. Credit to me, but it was not just credit as it took a lot of desire, that I managed to become the player I am today.”
