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He looks set to leave Arjen Robben and Zlatan Ibrahimovic behind: former Bayern star João Cancelo could set a special record as early as this weekend

Former Bundesliga defender Joao Cancelo is on the brink of a rare achievement.

Should the Portuguese international, as expected, help FC Barcelona win the LaLiga title, it would be his fourth championship in one of Europe's top five leagues. No other player has achieved this before Cancelo.

The right-back has won league titles in the Premier League (with Manchester City in 2020/21 and 2021/22), the Bundesliga (with FC Bayern in 2022/23) and Serie A (with Juventus in 2018/19). He also claimed the Portuguese top flight with Benfica in 2014, lifted the Champions League with City in 2023, and helped Portugal win the Nations League in 2019.
Top stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Arjen Robben and Kingsley Coman have previously won championships in three of the five top European leagues. Like Cancelo, the latter two have a history at S?bener Stra?e.

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FC Barcelona could secure the league title this weekend.
The 31-year-old is expected to leave them behind soon, as Barça are on course to secure the La Liga title early. After 33 of 38 matchdays, Hansi Flick's side hold a comfortable nine-point lead over their closest rivals, Real Madrid.
The title race could even end this weekend: if Barcelona win away at CA Osasuna on Saturday and Real lose to local rivals Espanyol the following day, the Blaugrana's title defence and Cancelo's individual mark will be secure.
More realistically, though, Barcelona will wrap up the title a week later, on 10 May, in the Clásico against Real.
Will João Cancelo remain at FC Barcelona?
For Cancelo, this would be the highlight of his second spell with the Catalans. He had already spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Camp Nou, but Barcelona failed to win any trophies that term. In January of this year, the club once again brought in the versatile defender on loan to strengthen their back line.
What happens next is unclear. Cancelo is under contract at Al-Hilal, who paid Manchester City €25 million for him two years ago, until 2027. At the end of March, Sport reported that Flick wants to keep the full-back and has approved a permanent move.
Two hurdles remain: Al-Hilal must release him—reportedly feasible, since the Saudi club no longer counts on him—and he must accept a substantial pay cut, as cash-strapped Barcelona cannot match his current €12m-per-year salary.