Lunch Break That Sealed the Deal: How Barcelona Navigated Cancelo’s Transfer Delay

Background of the Delay

Barcelona found themselves in a surprising hold-up over Joao Cancelo's move as Al Hilal's last-minute request disrupted the signing ceremony.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Al Hilal asked at the last moment to include a tax residency certificate among the loan documents.

Because the Saudi club would contribute part of Cancelo's salary, they conditioned attaching this document with the CEO's signature, which took the club's officials a long time to locate.

The Lunch Break Solution

With the delay stretching to 3 hours and 45 minutes beyond the scheduled time, Gabriel Martínez, Barcelona's general manager of communications, invited journalists and media to a lunch at the "Barça Café" to calm nerves and ease the coverage frenzy.

Barcelona had already announced Cancelo's arrival on their official channels, noting he would wear number 2 in his new stint and recalling his previous spell in 2023-24; minutes later, the posts were deleted in response to Al Hilal's demand that the tax certificate be included in the contract before finalizing the deal.

The signing ceremony was planned for 13:00, with the official presentation at 13:30. Cancelo arrived at the president's office of Joan Laporta, in the presence of Deco, Rafael Yuste, and Juan Soler, to sign as a new Blaugrana player, but his first appearance ultimately delayed to 16:45 due to Al Hilal's request.

Punchline 1: If transfers ran on paperwork, this one would have earned multiple overtime bonuses.

Punchline 2: Barça proved that the fastest way to sign a player is to schedule lunch—it's amazing what a good sandwich can do for a deadline.