João Cancelo commits cardinal sin in age of smartphone and transactional fandom | Jonathan Liew

As sport increasingly treats fans as commodities, the inevitable result is that fans have started to see athletes the same way

“You’re so annoying, my God,” João Cancelo complains, leaning out of his open car window with the indignation of a man at a drive-through who has just been handed the Smarties McFlurry when he specifically ordered the Oreo. “You’re here every day. Do I have to stop my car every day?

“Quickly, quickly,” he scolds them, as the procession of teenagers persists, posing for photos and handing him various objects to sign. Eventually, after an encounter lasting less than a couple of minutes, Cancelo drives away from the Barcelona training ground, leaving in his wake a pall of awkwardness, as well as some of the most reluctant selfies ever committed to a memory chip.

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