Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Aston Villa, on loan from La Liga club Barcelona, and the Brazil national team. He is known for his combination of vision, passing, dribbling and ability to conjure curving long-range strikes.

Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Coutinho showed prodigious talent and excelled in Vasco da Gama's youth system. He was signed by Italian club Inter Milan in 2008 for €4 million and subsequently loaned back to Vasco, where he became a key player. He made his debut for Inter Milan in 2010, and was later loaned to La Liga club Espanyol in 2012. In January 2013, Coutinho joined English club Liverpool for £8.5 million. He flourished at Liverpool, being named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2015. In January 2018, Coutinho signed for Barcelona for a club record fee reportedly worth €160 million (making him the world's second most expensive player at the time, and the most expensive midfielder as of 2018), and won two La Liga titles. However, he was loaned to German club Bayern Munich on a season-long loan ahead of the 2019–20 season, being a part of the team that won a treble including the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League.

Coutinho made his senior international debut in 2010. He was part of the Brazilian squad at the 2015 Copa América and the Copa América Centenario in 2016, and he made his World Cup debut at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he scored two goals and was named to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team. He was also a member of the Brazilian team that won the 2019 Copa América on home soil.

Early life

The third and youngest son of Esmeralda Coutinho and architect José Carlos Correia, Coutinho was born on 12 June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. He was raised in Rio's northern Rocha district between an old shanty town and industrial warehouses.

As a child he was very shy and would prefer to be alone; he started playing football after watching his elder brothers Cristiano and Leandro play with their friends at a local concrete football pitch. He began playing futsal, and he said it helped him develop his skills as a footballer. Coutinho thrived in the street environment, developing skill and improvisation. After Coutinho joined a local football academy on the insistence of his friend's grandmother, his father was approached at a tournament by youth coaches at Vasco da Gama, where Coutinho attended a trial and joined their youth system.

Vasco da Gama

Coutinho flourished in Vasco da Gama's youth system and was soon called up to the Brazil under-15 football team. In July 2008, at age 16, he was purchased by Italian giants Inter Milan for €4 million. Coutinho remained at Vasco on loan for two years as FIFA prohibited international transfer of footballers until they reached age 18, and he became a regular first-team player despite his young age. In 2009, he made 12 league appearances as Vasco won the Série B title and achieved promotion to the top tier. In 2010, he made 31 appearances and scored 5 goals in all competitions as he established himself as a key first-team player.

Coutinho with Inter Milan in October 2011

Inter Milan

Coutinho's move to Inter Milan became effective in July 2010, after he turned 18, with new manager Rafael Benítez being quoted as saying, "Coutinho is the future of Inter."

On 27 August 2010, Coutinho made his official debut for Inter coming on as a substitute during the Nerazzurri's 2–0 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup. After dropping out of selection in the starting line-up, he returned to play in the crucial 3–2 win over Bayern Munich in Germany, due to which Inter would progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

On 8 May 2011, in a 3–1 win at home against Fiorentina, Coutinho scored his first goal for Inter from a free kick that curled over the wall and into the net. His second goal for Inter came in a match against Cagliari on 19 November 2011, where Coutinho received a through-ball from teammate Ricky Álvarez and scored into the bottom left corner of the net to give Inter a 2–0 lead.