'We had differences' - Former Man City star opens up on Pep Guardiola feud which led to exit

The Portuguese defender was a key figure at one stage having joined in 2019 as Pep Guardiola utilised him across both full-back positions.

One report in 2025 claimed that Ruben Amorim could be able to convince to return to England to join Manchester United but a move seems rather unlikely given their position and his wage demands.

He won five major honours at City and enjoyed some stellar moments that included star strikes and incredible assists, but he is technical ability clashed with the more pragmatic style set by Guardiola, and he ventured on two loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona before signing for Al-Hilal in 2024 in a permanent deal.

It was in 2024 that he gave a cryptic message over his exit: "There are things we didn't agree on, we're not obligated to agree on everything," the defender said during his Barcelona loan.

"I had things I didn't agree on or he didn't agree with something I said, it was just that. But I don't have resentment, I am very grateful. Life goes on, I am very, very happy here," Cancelo added.

In an interview with Channel 11 (via Marca), he has now opened up on the past at a time when he is enjoying life in the Saudi Pro League.

"We had differences, not a clash; we had different opinions," Cancelo said. "I have a very strong personality and so does he (Guardiola), but he's the one in charge.

"Each of us took our own paths, but I thank God for having worked with him. I felt important in this group. He made me grow as a person and as a player."

He continued: "He's a genius, a world leader in coaching. The best moments of my career were at Manchester City. I went to training and matches, enjoying myself.

"But I didn't want to stay at Manchester City, and they didn't want me to stay either. So there were several reasons for me to go to Al Hilal."

With Cancelo exiting and not being a part of the City team for the past two seasons, the club has moved on in terms of their defence, but there has been a lot of change regardless.

Kyle Walker is on loan at AC Milan and is likely to exit permanently in the summer, while John Stones is struggling with reoccurring injuries, and the club has since decided to invest in Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov to help with their clear rebuild.

There's still Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis to call upon at the back but there are reports of a move for Juventus' versatile defender Andrea Cambiaso to keep an eye on.

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