The Portuguese defender will play for the Spanish champions for the remainder of the season.
Everything had already been settled, and now the official announcement has arrived. Fresh off winning the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona have strengthened their defense by bringing back João Cancelo on loan from Al Hilal.
Cancelo first joined Barcelona on a season-long loan from Manchester City in 2023, featuring in 32 La Liga matches during that spell. The 32-year-old defender, who has won the English Premier League title three times, moved to Al Hilal in August 2024.
Barcelona confirmed Cancelo’s return to Camp Nou in a statement on Tuesday.
“Barcelona and Al Hilal have reached an agreement for the Portuguese full-back to join on loan until the end of the season. He will wear the number two shirt here.”
Last year, Cancelo spent around two months on the sidelines due to two separate hamstring injuries before returning ahead of the Club World Cup. He played a key role in Al Hilal’s dramatic 4-3 victory over Manchester City in the round of 16, scoring an important goal in that match.
Cancelo was part of Portugal’s Nations League–winning squad in the 2018–19 season. In the ongoing World Cup qualifiers this year, he has scored two goals and also provided two assists.
La Liga leaders Barcelona will face Racing in the Copa del Rey next Thursday.
