Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder.

The playmaker moved to Liverpool FC in an £8.5m transfer from Serie A club Inter Milan in the January transfer window in 2013.

After scoring 54 goals in 201 games for the Merseyside outfit, Coutinho sealed a transfer to FC Barcelona in January 2018.

He has won two La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys since his move to the Catalan club.

He also won the Champions League and Bundesliga during a loan spell with Bayern Munich.

After impressing in their youth teams, Coutinho made his senior debut for Brazil in 2010. In 2019, he was part of the Brazil national team who won the Copa America.

Early Life

Philippe was born the youngest of three sons to parents Esmeralda Coutinho and Jose Carlos Correia in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 12 October 1992.

Coutinho was spotted by Brazilian club Vasco da Gama during a local tournament. After a successful trial, Coutinho entered their youth system.

Vasco Da Gama

Philippe wasted no time leaving his mark on Vasco da Gama’s youth system and it wasn’t long before he earned a call-up to the senior team.

He was a member of Brazil’s Under-15 squad and soon attracted interest from some European clubs.

Inter Milan agreed a €4m deal with Vasco da Gama to sign the promising midfielder and loaned Coutinho back to the Brazilian club for two seasons.

Philippe scored five goals in 31 appearances in all competitions to help Vasco da Gama win Serie B and underline his potential.

Inter Milan

Coutinho linked up with his Inter Milan team-mates in 2010 with former Liverpool FC manager Rafael Benitez in charge at the San Siro.

The teenager made his debut as a substitute in Inter Milan’s 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup.

Coutinho found his first-team opportunities somewhat limited at the Italian club in the 2010-11 season.

He created one of Inter’s goals in their thrilling 4-3 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on a night where Gareth Bale introduced himself to the European stage.

Coutinho ended the season on a positive note by scoring a free-kick in Inter Milan’s 3-1 win against Fiorentina at the San Siro.

The Brazilian midfielder was sent out on loan to Spanish side Espanyol during the second half of the 2011-12 season, with manager Gian Piero Gasperini and his successor Claudio Ranieri using the attacker sparingly.

He scored one goal in eight appearances in all competitions as he failed to make much progress in his second season in Italy.

Espanyol Loan (2012)

Inter Milan permitted Coutinho to move to Spanish side Espanyol on loan during the second half of the 2011-12 season.

Coutinho opened his account for the Spanish side in a 5-1 win against Rayo Vallecano on 11 March 2012, scoring twice during the emphatic victory.

The South American scored against Racing Santander and Malaga as he began to thrive under Espanyol boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Coutinho finished with five goals in 16 appearances in La Liga to mark a successful stint at Espanyol.

He returned to Inter Milan for the 2012-13 season but the Brazil international was soon on the move despite scoring three times in 19 games for the Serie A giants in the first half of the campaign.

Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC and Southampton went to battle over Coutinho’s signature in the 2013 January transfer window.

Coutinho’s former boss Pochettino was in charge of Southampton as the retired Argentina defender looked to capitalise on his past working relationship with the attacker.

However, Brendan Rodgers managed to convince Coutinho to move to Liverpool FC in a cut-price £8.5m deal in January 2013. Philippe signed a long-term deal with the Merseyside outfit.

Liverpool FC handed their new signing the prestigious number 10 shirt as Coutinho followed in the footsteps of the likes of John Barnes and Michael Owen in wearing the prestigious number.

2012-13 Season

Philippe didn’t take long to win over the Liverpool FC supporters with his silky football.

A week later, Coutinho scored his first Premier League goal in a 5-0 victory over Swansea City at Anfield.

The Brazilian continued his prolific start with two assists in a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic before he scored a consolation goal in a 3-1 loss at Southampton.

Liverpool FC supporters witnessed Coutinho’s exciting potential when he produced a man-of-the-match performance in a 6-0 win at Newcastle United at St James’ Park in April 2013.

He showed signs of an exciting partnership with fellow January signing Daniel Sturridge after the pair combined to devastating effect in wins at Newcastle and Fulham.

He signed off on the 2012-13 season with a sensational winner in Liverpool FC’s 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season at Anfield.

2013-14 Season

Philippe’s first full season at Liverpool FC proved to be a whirlwind as the Merseyside went to the brink of winning a first Premier League title before falling just short.

However, the attacking midfielder spent the opening months of the season on the sidelines after he injured his shoulder during Liverpool FC’s clash at Swansea in September 2013.

Coutinho didn’t return to first-team action until a 4-0 win against Fulham at Anfield on 9 November. He scored his first goal of the campaign in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on 23 November.

The attacking midfielder continued his habit of scoring at Liverpool FC’s biggest rivals with the opener in what was ultimately a 2-1 loss at Manchester City on St Stephen’s Day.

Coutinho found himself on the score-sheet again in Liverpool FC’s 4-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield as Rodgers’ men continued to build momentum in the title run-in.

However, Liverpool FC lost to Chelsea FC and dropped points against Crystal Palace to allow Manchester City to overturn the deficit and make their two games in hand count. The Reds finished two points behind the eventual champions.

Coutinho scored five times and made seven assists in 28 games in his first full season in the Premier League.

2014-15 Season

He made a slow start to the 2014-15 season, with his first Premier League goal coming as a late winner in a 3-2 victory at Queen’s Park Rangers on 19 October. He scored at Anfield a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield on 21 December.

Coutinho continued his prolific run against Manchester City by netting Liverpool FC’s second goal in a 2-1 victory at Anfield.

The Liverpool FC number 10 continued his brilliant form with goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the FA Cup.

He finished the 2014-15 season with eight goals in 52 appearances in all competitions.

2015-16 Season

Coutinho started the 2015-16 campaign in style by netting a brilliant long-range strike in the 89th minute to secure a 1-0 win at Stoke City in Liverpool FC’s season opener.

He saw his first red card in a Liverpool FC shirt a fortnight later, when he was sent off for a second bookable offence in a shock 3-0 loss to West Ham United at Anfield.

Former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp replaced Rodgers as Liverpool FC boss in October 2015. The German’s appointment prompted some sensational performances from Liverpool’s number 10.

Coutinho scored two goals in Liverpool FC’s 3-1 win at defending Premier League champions Chelsea FC on 31 October. Three weeks later, he netted in his third consecutive top-flight fixture to help Klopp’s men beat Manchester City 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

The Liverpool FC star’s brilliant form came to an end when he suffered a hamstring problem in January 2016. He was sidelined for five weeks.

However, he returned a month later to score the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the League Cup final at Wembley. The Citizens won the season’s first trophy on penalties.

Liverpool FC continued to make good progress in the Europa League. Coutinho scored their goal in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford to secure a 3-1 aggregate win.

Coutinho got on the score-sheet in Liverpool FC’s incredible 4-3 win against Klopp’s former side Dortmund as the Reds booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals.

He scored his second Merseyside derby goal in a 4-0 victory over Everton but Liverpool FC missed out on a top-four place and lost 3-1 to Sevilla in the Europa League final.

Philippe scored 12 goals and made seven assists in 40 games in all competitions in the 2015-16 campaign.

2016-17 Season

His most prolific season until that point came in the 2016-17 campaign, when Coutinho helped Klopp’s side to finish in the top four.

He scored on the opening day of the Premier League season for a second successive year with two goals in Liverpool FC’s 4-3 victory at Arsenal.

Coutinho helped Liverpool FC to secure top spot in the Premier League table with victories over West Brom, Crystal Palace and Watford before he suffered a serious ankle injury in a 2-0 win against Sunderland at the end of November.

He scored and made a goal in Liverpool’s 3-1 win against Everton in the Merseyside derby following the announcement of his new deal.

Coutinho scored three times in victories over West Ham and Middlesbrough in their final two games of the campaign to secure a top-four finish.

Along with Sadio Mane, Coutinho finished as Liverpool FC’s joint leading goal-scorer, with 13 goals and seven assists as he helped the Reds secure a return to the Champions League.

2017-18 Season

Philippe’s summer was plagued by transfer speculation linking the number 10 with a move to FC Barcelona.

He even handed in a transfer request via email but Liverpool FC refused to sell their Brazilian star to the La Liga giants.

Coutinho missed Liverpool FC’s opening five Premier League games before he started for the first time that season at the King Power Stadium. Coutinho scored a brilliant free-kick in a 3-2 win against Leicester.

He went on to score against Spartak Moscow and Newcastle United to underline his importance to Klopp’s team.

FC Barcelona

Philippe completed a £142m move to Barcelona from Liverpool FC on 6 January 2018.

Coutinho was diagnosed with a thigh strain during his medical to rule him out of first-team contention for three weeks.

He won two La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey crowns with the Spanish club.

International Career

Coutinho was an important member of the Brazil squad that won the World Under-17 championship in 2009.

Luiz Felipe Scolari controversially omitted Coutinho from his Brazil squad for the 2014 World Cup.

However, his successor Dunga reintegrated the playmaker back into the national team set-up following their disastrous World Cup campaign.

He netted in Brazil’s 3-0 win against Paraguay in March 2017 as they booked their place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Coutinho was part of the Brazil side that won the Copa America in 2019.

Personal Life

Coutinho married his wife Aine in 2012 in Brazil. They have two daughters and one son together.

The Brazilian footballer is a devout Christian.

In August 2018, Coutinho gained a Portuguese passport through his wife.

Philippe Coutinho – Did You Know?

• Coutinho’s idol growing up was FC Barcelona and Brazil legend Ronaldinho.

• The South American midfielder is a devout Christian.

• Born on June 12, Coutinho shares a birthday with two former Liverpool FC players: The late Tom Gracie represented the Reds from 1912 to 1914, while more recently Antonio Barragan made a single appearance for the club before returning to Spain.