(Reuters) – Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo on Monday described the “horrific” home invasion in which he was assaulted at the end of December had deeply affected his family.
The Portuguese international was the victim of a robbery at his home just after Christmas and later shared a picture of himself on Instagram with a cut above his eye, saying the aggressors also tried to harm his family.
The 27-year-old said in December that none of them were hurt in the incident, and added that the four attackers had taken jewellery from his house.
“It was horrific, it terrorised my whole family,” Cancelo told reporters when asked about the burglary before Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Sporting Lisbon.
“I know how to deal with it, but my family didn’t deserve to go through that.”
Cancelo, one of City’s standout performers, signed a contract extension this month committing him to the league leaders until 2027, said he was trying to maintain a positive outlook on life.
“There have been lots of obstacles in my life and I have to get over them, I’m a stronger player mentally and that’s how I want to go on,” Cancelo said.
“I could drop my head, but I always like to think positively, and that is how I can live my life in the best way possible.”
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
