Mendes poaches Flick for a player, Cancelo redeems his competitive career with a €10 million buyout fee.

First round of the 2026 World Cup group stage. Cancelo sent a bicycle kick crashing into the Democratic Republic of Congo's goal.

The whistle blew. Goal disallowed.

Over 110 million people could fill a thousand Camp Nows. Only eleven stood on the pitch. Portugal couldn't handle them. 1-1.

In the mixed zone after the match, Cancelo's face was longer than the arc of that bicycle kick. "This is a loss." No official jargon, no talk of honorable defeat. He flipped the table directly: "Too impatient in the final third, couldn't turn our advantage into real chances."

He didn't want to spend another second in this national team mess. As soon as the draw whistle blew, he dove straight into transfer negotiations.

Barcelona's plan was a six-month loan first, then a two-year contract. The buyout clause was €10 million, with add-ons.

Al-Hilal held his contract until 2027. Given the typical temperament of the Saudi土豪, they would never let him go so cheaply.

Who filled the gap? Cancelo himself. He voluntarily gave up most of his remaining salary from the Saudi contract.

Barcelona paid €10 million for a full-back who played 23 games on loan last season, scored 2 goals, and won La Liga with the team. In this summer's transfer market, €10 million for such a proven, tested player is a no-brainer.

Flick didn't have any particular preference for Cancelo at first. When he first arrived on loan last season, no one treated him like a savior.

But after 23 games, 2 goals, and a La Liga title, the German's look changed.

He could push up on the left, cut inside, and deliver precise cut-backs. Flick couldn't find another full-back like this.

Now Flick has directly told the management: bring him to England for the pre-season training camp.

The evaluation period is over. He's been directly integrated into the starting framework.

Mendes was running back and forth between the two sides. He held the player down on one end and pried the Saudi side open on the other, dragging a deal that had already fallen apart back to the table.

Al-Hilal wasn't a monolith either. Inzaghi's position had been shaky since spring, and rumors of a management change never stopped. Cancelo's weight in their plans dropped accordingly.

At 32, he could coast through two more years of his contract in Saudi, making good money, but his competitive value would be zero. No European giant would give a starting spot to a full-back who was just retiring in the desert.

Cancelo was using money to buy back his competitive career.

Coming back to play in La Liga and the Champions League, at least until he's 34, he can still stay in the sightline of mainstream leagues.

There's still one hurdle.

His residency and tax issues in Spain haven't been sorted out yet. This is the final obstacle before signing.

This kind of nonsense is too common during the transfer window. The contract is agreed, but the tax bill isn't aligned, and the signing gets dragged out until the last day of the window.

Once the tax bill is aligned, he'll be on a flight to England.

32 years old. €10 million. Plus the Saudi salary he threw away.

When the flight lands, he'll have to prove to Flick that this deal wasn't a loss.