When we search about Philippe Coutinho, we often get reflected to the fact that he became football’s hot property when at Anfield, having proved his worth against the biggest names in the English game. It was no surprise then, that Barcelona came swooping, just like they had for Luis Suárez a couple of years back, and signed the Brazilian midfield on a five year contract.
Since then, things have been on a downturn for Coutinho, who did not gel as well with Leo Messi as he would have liked to and ultimately ended up getting loaned to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. Irrespective of the ups and downs, Philippe Coutinho stays one of the best players in the World at the moment and Brazil’s man for the future. We look at 10 lesser known facts about Philippe Coutinho.
Family First Always
One of the first things about Philippe Coutinho is the fact that he grew up in a footballing family, with two elder brothers guarding him through his early teens at matches, parties and team meets. They used to sit down at Phil’s games and analyze his performances.
Coutinho married his wife Aine, his childhood sweetheart and had his family members tattooed on his body as a sign of gratitude. He has gone on to say that everything he has achieved so far is a product of his upbringing.
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Nicknamed “The Little Magician”
Magical story about Philippe Coutinho is the fact that he is literally Brazil’s answer to Lionel Messi. Built short, Philippe Coutinho uses his frame to dribble and flawlessly beat defenders left and right. Effective off both feet, Coutinho can play a multiple number of positions for his versatility. He is nicknamed ‘Little Magician’ for his footwork, dribbles, balance and game authority.
Young Managers Bring The Best Out Of Him
One interesting fact about Philippe Coutinho is the Managers he has played with. Andrea Stramaccioni, Brendan Rodgers, Mauricio Pochettino and Jürgen Klopp are some of the young managers the Brazilian has played under and shone. Coutinho is a typical modern footballer, complete with skills, mentality and game awareness. It is young managers that he worked under at Inter, Espanyol and Liverpool that groomed him to be one of the best players that he is today.
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Looks Up To Neymar, No Competition
Another striking fact about Philippe Coutinho is that Brazilian No. 10 Neymar Jr. is someone he idolizes, strangely enough, given the fact that they both represent the same national team. Despite having a list of stars to choose from, Coutinho believes Neymar is his role model, something that also makes him focus on working together with the PSG star, instead of competing against him.
About Philippe Coutinho & Inter Milan
One thing you can recall about Philippe Coutinho is that he was lighting up the Brazilian league at a very young age, with his hometown club Vasco da Gama. He had already represented Brazil U15s when the Italian giants came calling. Philippe Coutinho did not immediately move to San Siro, took time to improve his game in Brazil for the next two years on loan before finally switching to Europe. It was at Liverpool that he truly announced himself to the World.
A Futsal Champion
Strange fact about Philippe Coutinho is that some of the best Latin American footballers have come through the ranks of Futsal, played on a concrete pitch instead of the grass, smaller teams and caged arenas. Coutinho is one example of those, having displayed immense potential in tight spaces and shown clinical balance, winning championships before he took a shot at the real game. The same can be said of stars like Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Neymar and Adriano.
He’s got a World Cup Winners’ Medal
Coutinho won the U20 World Cup in Colombia in 2011, scoring twice and providing 4 assists. The Brazil colts had a great tournament and although Henrique was the star of the show, Philippe was the silent provider as he developed into a lethal midfield machine.
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Barcelona’s Great Love Story
When Coutinho moved to Catalunya in 2017, he joined a elite team of footballers as well as family men, Leo Messi, Luis Suárez, Gerard Pique, Antoine Griezmann. However, it was his childhood love story with his wife Aine that made him really popular around the club. He gelled well into his new surroundings and had a new name to go by.
He has a Godfather at Barcelona
This tale about Philippe Coutinho & Luis Suárez go back a long way. Suárez is senior to Philippe and helped the Brazilian settle down when he moved to Liverpool. Again, when Coutinho moved to Barcelona to realize his dream of playing alongside Lionel Messi, Suárez came to the rescue, helping him settle down in Barcelona, inviting him over and striking up a cordial relationship with his family.
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