The big news going into Sunday’s match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona was the absence of Joao Cancelo, who was a last minute drop out for Xavi Hernandez’s side. No reason was given, although it later came out that a serious personal issue had caused him to play no part – although the Catalan side didn’t miss him, as they won 3-0 at the Civitas Metropolitano.
It’s now been revealed exactly what the problem was. As per RAC1 (via MD), a relative of Cancelo was diagnosed with a heart condition over the weekend, and Barcelona moved quickly to check whether it was hereditary for the Portuguese international. It meant that he could play no part against Atleti, as the player and club awaited the result of the heart test.
Fortunately, Cancelo is okay. He has no heart problem, so he is able to resume his playing career with immediate effect. He is likely to play for Portugal during this international break, before returning for Barcelona when they take on Las Palmas at the end of this month.
