MADRID, April 20 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona's Portugal international defender Joao Cancelo has revealed that he and his family received threats on social media in the wake of Barca's 4-1 defeat at home to Paris Saint-Germain which saw them knocked out of the Champions League.
Cancelo committed a rash challenge that gifted the French side the second-half penalty that saw them 3-1 up in Tuesday night's game, and speaking to broadcaster ESPN ahead of Sunday's visit to Real Madrid, the full-back said the repercussions from Tuesday's loss had gone beyond football.
"There are comments on Instagram wishing death on my unborn daughter," commented Cancelo. "They insult my wife, my son and my unborn daughter. They certainly don't say it to my face, because there would be problems," he added.
The former Manchester City and Bayern Munich defender said he could accept that "they criticize me as a player," but not that "they speak badly of my family."
"It is clear today's world is cruel. Wishing the death of a baby is a very serious thing," Cancelo lamented.
The defender agreed his challenge on former Barca winger Ousmane Dembele was "childish" because of "how the game was going", and he admitted he hadn't slept after the game, as he "couldn't stop thinking about it." ■
