Filomena Cancelo is the late mother of Portuguese-born professional footballer Joao Cancelo.
Joao plays as a full-back for Barcelona, on loan from Manchester City and the Portugal national team.
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Married life and kids
Filomena was married to her husband Joseph Cancelo.
Soon after, her husband had to go to Switzerland to earn money while she remained in Portugal to look after their two boys, Joao and Pedro.
Filomena juggled three jobs to provide a better opportunity for Joao and Pedro so the boys spent most of their childhood with their grandparents in Barreiro.
Joao said he rarely saw his mother during the daytime, he would only see her at dinnertime.
Joao also said that the values his parents instilled in him are humility, love, dedication, and commitment.
She tragically died in a car accident
Filomena tragically died in a car accident in January 2013 leaving behind her family.
The accident occurred on the A2 motorway in Sexial, a few miles south of Lisbon.
Joao then 18 years old and his brother Pedro then 10 years old were in the car but they only suffered minor injuries.
They were returning home after dropping off their father at the airport.
Joao almost considered quitting football after her demise
Her untimely demise left everyone in the family devastated especially Joao. The tragedy even hit him hard because it wasn't a disease, it was a car accident.
He shared that he and his brother only know what they went through as they were inside the car and watched it all.
In his Facebook post, he shared, that he had lost the "light of my life" and was "dead inside".
In an emotional interview with Caroline De Moraes in Champions Journal, he expressed he felt like he was at the bottom of the well when he lost his mother.
He felt like a robot that had to do its job and slowly his interest in playing football was dying.
He was playing because he had to and thought of giving up because it didn't make sense anymore.
His father convinced him telling him that he and Pedro needed him to have the strength to continue because his father had to stay.
He couldn't go back to Switzerland.
By that time, he had already signed a professional contract with Benfica, and much of his money was used to support his family so he decided to play.
Although it wasn't easy at first, he slowly got on track. It was because of the love and support of his father and brother who didn't let his love for football die.
Joao still misses his mother to date and always writes #mommyblessme in his posts and captions.
Who is Joao currently married to?
Joao is engaged to be married soon. He has been engaged to his long-term girlfriend Daniela Machado since 2021.
Joao popped the question by going down on one knee during their vacation in Maldives on the 4th of July, 2021 after dating for a decade.
The couple is soon-to-be parents of their second child. They gave birth to their first child, daughter Alicia on the 24th of December, 2019.
Joao in an interview said he thought nothing would surpass the love he had for his mother, then his daughter was born which according to him is an explicable love.
His mother always had time for him and his brother even if she was tired and he is now trying not to let his family want for anything.
He tries to give his daughter and his partner the love his mother gave him.
Net Worth
Her son, Joao, is one of the best full-backs in the world. His net worth is estimated to be around $20 million.