How Joao Cancelo is the bigger winner in Man City vs. Bayern

Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo could be in line to receive a Champions League winners medal if City go on to lift the trophy this season. The fullback was loaned out to Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in January after losing his starting place at City. He was named on the bench for Bayern’s quarter-final clash with City on Tuesday night and came on in the 80th minute to a chorus of boos from the home fans as his side went down 3-0.

Following the victory, City fans started questioning whether Cancelo would receive a winners medal if the team goes on to win the tournament. Although he was not named in City’s squad for the knockout rounds, he did play for the team in the group stage.

UEFA regulations state that the winning team will receive 40 gold medals, and the distribution of the medals is at each club’s discretion.

Liverpool faced a similar situation in 2018 when they sold Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in January. Questions were raised about whether Coutinho would receive a medal if Liverpool had won, and it was reported that Liverpool would reward him with a medal after his efforts in the group stage.

The decision of whether to award Joao Cancelo a medal will ultimately be down to City, but it is likely that they will reward him for his contribution in the group stage. City have one foot in the semi-finals after their 3-0 victory over Bayern in the first leg of their quarter-final tie. Bayern will need a miracle to turn the tie around when they travel to the Allianz Arena next week.

City boss Pep Guardiola acknowledged the difficulty of the second leg, saying “It’s an incredible result, but I know what it means to go to Munich and we have to do something new to not suffer so much the quality they have and we will try and do it.” Cancelo will be hoping to play a bigger role in the team’s success should he receive a winners medal.