🏆 Ballon d'OneFootball: And in 13th place is ... | OneFootball

Welcome to the third annual edition of the Ballon d’OneFootball as we continue our countdown of the top 25 players in the world.

Click right here to see the full list so far.

And today we have …

13th: João Cancelo, Manchester City and Portugal

(New entry)

For about the first century or so, the role of the full-back in football was pretty clearly defined.

Right-footers played right back, left-footers played left-back. They would defend their flank and their flank only, and more attack-minded wingers would venture forward to chip in with the occasional goal and assist.

But then in 2019, Pep Guardiola met João Cancelo, and everything changed.

Not that we’re saying Guardiola invented the inverted full-back but the Manchester City coach has certainly popularised the art again in the past couple of seasons.

And like many great innovations, this one came about almost by accident.

Cancelo moved to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2019 in a swap deal involving Danilo, and the Portuguese was signed to compete with Kyle Walker for the right-back spot.

But after an underwhelming first season in which he struggled to adapt to the demands of English/Guardiola’s football, it was starting to look like Cancelo’s days in the Premier League were numbered.

However, towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign, a lack of available left-back options forced Guardiola to move Cancelo over to left-back and after some initial unfamiliarity, the former Juventus, Valencia and Benfica man soon began to blossom.

In 2020/21 he played almost exclusively as a left-back but one tasked with a hybrid role which often saw him coming in-field and playing almost as an attacking midfielder at times.

Having a creative full-back who could play inside and confuse opposing defences unlocked a whole new dimension to Guardiola’s side, and Cancelo was one of the best players in a season which saw them win the Premier League title and make it all the way to the Champions League final.

He didn’t stop there either, and this year Cancelo has once again been one of the best full-backs in not just the Premier League but the world. Not bad for a left-back who is predominantly right-footed.

Can a full-back be more of a playmaker than a defender? João Cancelo is the technically gifted, unequivocal answer to that question.

Click right here to see the full list so far.