Manchester City defender, Joao Cancelo has revealed that he’s ready to face Chelsea in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
The former Benfica defender is expected to start on Saturday night against Chelsea.
Cancelo told Eleven Sports: “I still can’t believe I’m going to be in the final of a Champions League. It’s a child’s dream. I now remember all the moments I spent with my father, my mother and the moments I started at Barreirense.
“I had a lot of difficult moments and it is a fulfillment of a dream.
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“Family will be watching the match in the blue and white stronghold.
“I don’t even know what to say. My family will almost all watch the game, I just can’t have my daughter there because she isn’t old enough yet. But I hope that, if we can win this Champions League final, she will one day know her father will be in the history of a club. And that is what my colleagues and I fight for every day. The big moment is coming and we hope it goes well for us.”
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The English are parochial and in football very racially competitive. Very few white English players bother developing their careers by playing abroad. They prefer the comfort of their home league and only go abroad when they’re famous for a big payday.
Like black British actors who’re being forced to go to America, black British players are forced to develop their careers by playing abroad in Europe. This is actually a good thing as like their acting counterparts they gain exposure and development experience with different playing styles.
The typical white player is overhyped: their merits are overhyped while their shortcomings ignored. It is no surprise that despite decades of overhyping the white players in their domestic league, England has not won the World Cup or the European nations cup.
It is very difficult to advice a player on whether to play for Nigeria or England. The English system will act prejudicially against a promising young black player who declares for Nigeria. This could involve reducing his financial prospects by ignoring and not crediting him with good field performances while focussing attention on any mistakes. There is also field politics, which involves white players refusing to pass the ball to a black player making him isolated on the field.
It is best for a player to assess the prospects of getting into the England squad based on the number and quality of players available in his playing position to the England squad, before committing to Nigeria.
If for instance you’re a leftback, and England has a quality leftback with plenty of other players providing cover options in that position, then the English would not resent you playing for another country.
John Fashanu would have made the same decision today faced with the same prospects as a 20-year-old player as he did then.
For Nigeria, we can still get some good quality players because a white player with exactly the same qualities as a black player would get in the England squad ahead of the black player.
I have no doubt that had Lookman been white his career prospects would not only have taken him to a higher quality club but ensured a presense at least on the fringes of the England squad.