Report: Real reason behind Barcelona defender’s absence against Atletico Madrid

Barcelona took on and took down Atletico Madrid this past Sunday, securing a resounding 3-0 win away at the Civitas Metropolitano despite being without several important players.

One of the stars who was unavailable for Xavi Hernandez on the night was starting defender Joao Cancelo.

The Portuguese international was not injured and had trained normally with the team on the eve of the match, but was excluded from the matchday squad.

After the game, it was reported that Cancelo was missing due to some personal reasons, with some of his teammates and manager Xavi Hernandez dedicating the win to the Portuguese ace.

Real reason behind Cancelo’s absence

Now, a fresh report from RAC1 has shed light on the actual reason behind Cancelo missing the game against Atletico Madrid.

As per the outlet, the 29-year-old was absent from the trip to the Civitas Metropolitano due to medical advice as a precaution.

Cancelo missed the weekend clash vs Atletico. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

A relative of the Portuguese right-back has a heart condition and the club’s medical staff wanted to rule out that it is hereditary and that the player is not affected by the same problem.

As such, Cancelo was advised to sit out of the match against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Crucial player

There is no denying that Cancelo is an extremely important player for Xavi and Barcelona. Since joining on loan from Manchester City, the full-back has excelled in Catalonia.

And going into the game against Atletico Madrid without him was a concern, but Barça made the right decision by taking him out, even if it was as a precaution.

Given how well he has performed, Barcelona are intent on signing Cancelo on a permanent deal in the summer transfer window. But an agreement with Manchester City could be tricky to finalise.