Joao Cancelo opens up on public feud with Pep Guardiola at Man City | OneFootball

Former Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo has discussed his public feud with Pep Guardiola, admitting he and the Spaniard had "different opinions" during their spell together at the Etihad Stadium.

The versatile full-back joined the Cityzens in 2019 and enjoyed an immensely successful few years with the club, winning three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and League Cup during his spell in English football.

However, Cancelo's relationship with City and, in particular, manager Guardiola soured at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign as he lost his place in the team to young Rico Lewis.

After voicing his disappointment over his lack of minutes, Cancelo was shipped off on loan to Bayern Munich for the second half of the campaign and spent the following year with Barcelona, before eventually leaving City permanently last summer after joining Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

The Portuguese was an important piece of the puzzle during his stint in Manchester but has admitted that he and Guardiola had "differences" that ultimately resulted in his exit - although he still hails the current City boss as a "genius".

Joao Cancelo is now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages

Speaking to Canal 11 last month, Cancelo stated: "[Inverted full-backs] was a lot of merit and work from Guardiola, it made me see football in a different way. For me he is a genius, impeccable and he changed the way I see the game today.

"We had differences, not a clash, we had different opinions. I have a very strong personality. He does too, but he's the one in charge. We went our separate ways, but I thank God for having worked with him. He's a genius, he's a world leader in terms of training.

"The best moments of my career were at Manchester City. I went to training and games enjoying myself. I felt important in this group. He made me grow as a man and a player."

He added: "I didn't want to continue at Manchester City and they didn't want me to continue. So there were a number of reasons [for signing for Al Hilal]. There were a few clubs interested in Europe, but Al Hilal was always the club that was most interested."

Cancelo has made 31 appearances for Al Hilal this season and has still found his way into the Portugal squad during recent international breaks, with the 30-year-old still among the world's leading full-backs.