Barcelona's João Cancelo Scripts History, Becomes 1st Player In The World To...

Last Updated:May 11, 2026, 16:54 IST

Joao Cancelo helps FC Barcelona win 2025-26 LaLiga with 2-0 El Clasico win over Real Madrid, becomes first player to win league titles in four of Europes top five leagues.

Portuguese full-back João Cancelo has etched his name into European football history after helping FC Barcelona secure the 2025/26 LaLiga title, becoming the first player to win league championships across four of Europe’s so-called ‘top five’ leagues. The Catalan club beat bitter rivals Real Madrid 2-0 in Sunday’s El Clásico to secure the title, with Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres scoring in the first half.

Cancelo, who rejoined Barcelona on loan from Al Hilal in January, played a crucial role in the club’s impressive second-half resurgence. Operating on both flanks of defence, the 31-year-old contributed one goal and three assists in 13 LaLiga appearances as Barcelona surged to the domestic crown.

The title adds another chapter to an already decorated career for the former Manchester City defender, who previously won multiple honours under manager Pep Guardiola. Cancelo first tasted league success with Benfica in Portugal before capturing the Serie A title with Juventus.

His trophy haul expanded further in England, where he lifted three Premier League titles with City, in addition to domestic cups and the UEFA Champions League. A loan spell at Bayern Munich during the second half of the 2022–23 season saw him claim the Bundesliga title, too.

With league triumphs now achieved in Portugal, Italy, England, Germany, and Spain, only France’s Ligue 1 remains absent from Cancelo’s collection among Europe’s elite competitions.

Several high-profile players, including David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Zlatan Ibrahimović, previously won league titles in three major European leagues, but none managed the unprecedented feat now achieved by Cancelo.

After the league win, Cancelo seemed to hint he wanted to stay in Spain.

“Barça is a very special club for me, even before coming here I was a Barça fan. Winning a league with this club is very special. Let’s see what happens, because, as you know, I’m on loan from Al Hilal," he told reporters. “I know what I want, I can’t say it publicly. We’ll see what happens."

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