Inside story of Joao Cancelo’s Man City exit with defender known for being ‘like a volcano’

Joao Cancelo developed a fiery reputation at Manchester City, according to reports, with his continued outbursts after being dropped by Pep Guardiola becoming the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ at the club.

Cancelo’s impending loan to Bayern Munich – reported by Sportsmail on Monday – is one of the biggest stories of the transfer window and came as a huge shock given the Portuguese defender’s standing as one of the best in his position.

But the wing-back – who has fallen out with Guardiola – has seen his game time reduced significantly this season despite being named in the PFA team of the year last season – with the 28-year-old left enraged about being dropped on a number of occasions, claims the Athletic.

Joao Cancelo’s repeated outbursts after being dropped angered Pep Guardiola, reports claim 

Cancelo – whose exit continues to grow bitter after blocking Man City fans – has a reputation for being ‘like a volcano’, the report claims, and even wanted to leave months after joining City in 2019 because he wasn’t playing enough. 

He is also said to have kicked up a fuss during the 2020-21 season when he was left out of the starting XI for the Champions League semi-final second leg and the final against Chelsea – making his feelings crystal clear.

Those close to Cancelo are well aware how much he loathes being benched, the report goes on, with the player coming back from the World Cup ‘in a funk’ because he had not played as much as he wanted.

When he returned to City, he was played out of position on the right wing during City’s 1-0 win at Chelsea earlier this month – before being taken off at half time, leaving Cancelo ‘furious’.

Cancelo is known for being ‘like a volcano’ when he doesn’t play and staff felt his behaviour started to affect the group

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A source told the publication: ‘When he’s in a good mood, he’s excellent. When he’s in a bad mood, he’s a bad boy. He thinks he is the best and doesn’t accept any advice or correction.’

After that game, ‘everything went downhill’ for Cancelo – who was left out of City’s starting line-up for their 4-2 win over Spurs in favour of youngster Rico Lewis, which caused ‘much consternation’. 

Man City coaching staff felt Cancelo’s behaviour was starting to affect the group – with Guardiola having strong views on players who show poor body language. 

And after being named on the bench for City’s 3-0 win over Wolves, he made his way from the team bus straight to the dugout and sat by himself – the report claims. 

Cancelo had also stopped paying attention in meetings and the coaching group agreed he needed to be moved on – as he prepares to join Bayern Munich on loan

Having been left out of City’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Arsenal, the coaching group noticrd he was not paying attention during tactical meetings at the club’s training ground and staff agreed he needed to be moved on. 

Cancelo is expected to seal his loan switch to Bayern on deadline day, with the German giants having the option to sign him for £61million at the end of the season.

Cancelo is currently under contract at the Etihad until 2027 and will join a Bayern side who have drawn their last three games, which has allowed Union Berlin to reduce the gap to them at the top to just a point.

Should a move go through, Cancelo could feature against Mainz in the German Cup on Wednesday.

If the turnaround ahead of Bayern’s cup tie is too short, Julian Nagelsmann could instead throw him in against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.