Yes! The dynamic midfielder that FC Barcelona has fought for has finally arrived at Camp Nou. We always knew he would come, just that we never expected to be this early during the January transfer window.
The 6th of January 2018, was when English powerhouse, Liverpool FC confirmed that
they had reached an agreement with La Liga giants Barcelona for sale of the diminutive Brazilian midfielder Phillips
Coutinho. The transfer fee is reported to be an initial £106 million, which could rise
to £142 million after various clauses in the contract are met. The deal is indeed a major achievement for the Catalan club, who have fought tooth and nail to secure his services.
In today’s article, we bring to you 9 little known facts about Phillipe Coutinho. Please on and enjoy.
Facts About Phillipe Coutinho
1. Phillipe Coutinho Correia is the third and youngest son of his father José Carlos Correia, an architect and mother, Esmerelda Coutinho. He joined Brazilian team Vasco de Gama youth team at 14. He was later signed up by Italian giants Internazionale for €4 million. But was loaned back to Vasco de Gama.
2. At the age of 18, Coutinho was already a key player for Vasco de Gama’s senior team. In the 2010 season, he made 31 appearances and scored 5 goals in all competitions for the team.
3. At the U20 World Cup in 2011, hosted in Colombia, Coutinho featured in all seven matches for the Brazilian youth side, who won the tournament by beating Portugal in the final. He scored 3 goals in that tournament.
4. Coutinho’s father Ze Carlos
Coutinho is an anti-Barcelona fan. He was the big reason behind his son’s decline to the Spanish giants, early in 2017.
5. Coutinho has two older brothers, Leandro Coutinho and Christain Coutinho. The both of them played football during their early childhood days. However, they were not successful in that like Coutinho. They ended up shifting their focus from football and later became professional lawyers.
6. Coutinho’s style of play has been likened to his fellow Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho by his former Espanyol manager, Mauricio Pochettino. His is a typical Brazilian number 10 playmaker, who loves dribbling. His dribbling ability, pace, and agility are some of his amazing qualities. He is also a dead ball specialist and is known for scoring spectacular long-range goals.
7. Coutinho was voted player of the season at Liverpool in 2015 and 2016 football seasons. His current Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez had also won the award during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, before he was sold to Barcelona.
8. Coutinho is happily married to Aine, his childhood sweetheart. He married Aine in the summer of 2012, in Brazil (he was 20 and she was 18). They gave birth to a baby girl later on.
9. Phillipe Coutinho is a devout Christian.
Do you think Coutinho will be a star at FC Barcelona and lead them to titles? Leave a comment and don’t forget to share!
