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Exhibition match Russia vs. Brazil, March 23, 2018. Philippe Coutinho (Brazil). Photo by Oleg Bkhambri (Voltmetro)-

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho is a Brazilian professional footballer. Throughout his football career, he has played for many football clubs, including; Vasco da Gama, Espanyol, Liverpool, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Bayer Munich. 

Currently, he is a winger for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Brazil national team. He is well known for his combination of vision, passing, dribbling and ability to conjure curving long-range strikes.

Learn more about Philippe Coutinho in these top 10 interesting facts.

1. During his childhood, he was Shy

Philippe Coutinho Correia was born on June 12, 1992 in Rio de Janeiro to Esmeralda Coutinho and architect Jose Correia. He was raised in Rio鈥檚 northern Rocha district between an old shanty town and industrial warehouse.

As a child, Philippe was very shy and preferred to be alone. He used to watch his elder brother; Cristiano and Leandro play football at a local concrete football pitch and he started playing.

He started playing futsal which helped him develop his skills and improvisation. His grandmother’s friend insisted he joins a local football academy. Later his father was approached by youth coaches at Vasco da Gama, where he attended a trial and joined their youth system.

2. Coutinho is Professional Footballer

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He is considered to be an archetypal Brazilian number 10 advanced playmaker. He is an attacking midfielder, second striker, and central midfielder in number 8. He also plays as a wide attacking midfielder on the flanks and excels at providing teammates’ assistance.

He has good dribbling ability, pace, agility and creativity. His former manager Mauricio Pochettino compared him to Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho and his teammates in Liverpool highly praised him.

Coutinho has elite vision and passing ability and is naturally footed, and he can strike a ball particularly well from a distance. He has spectacular curling shots with his right foot from outside the penalty area and is a highly accurate free-kicker.

3. He started his Football Career in Vasco da Gama

Coutinho flourished in Vasco da Gama youth system and was soon called up to Brazil’s under-15 football team. Inter Milan saw his talent in July 2008 at the age of 16 and they purchased him.

Even after purchasing him, he remained at Vasco on loan for two years because FIFA prohibited the international transfer of footballers until they reached age 18. While at Vasco, he became a regular first-team player despite his young age.

He made 12 league appearances in 2019 as Vasco won the Serie B title and achieved promotion to the top tier. In 2010 he made a good performance; he made 31 appearances and scored 5 goals in all competitions as he established himself as a key first-team player.

4. Coutinho has Played for Football Club Inter Milan

Coutinho moved from Vasco to Inter Milan effective in July 2010 after he turned 18, with a new manager Rafael Benitez. The manager said that 鈥淐outinho is the future of Inter鈥�.

He made his first debut on August 27, 2010, as a substitute during the 狈别谤补锄锄耻谤谤颈鈥檚 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup. He returned to play in the crucial 3-2 win over Bayern Munich in Germany.

He scored his first goal for Inter on May 8, 2011, in a win 3-1 at home against Florentina, a free kick. His second goal came during a match with Cagliari on November 19, 2011, and he received a through-ball from teammate Ricky Alvarez.

After Coutinho’s loan expiry with Espanyol, he returned to Inter Milan but again struggled to find game time at the San Siro. He only made 10 league appearances and scored 2 goals.

5. He Played on Loan to Espanyol

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During the 2911-2012 season, he struggled to establish himself in Inter Milan’s first team and joined La Liga club Espanyol on January 30, 2012, on loan until the end of the season.

He made his first debut for the club on February 4, 2012, under manager Mauricio Pochettino starting in a 3-3 draw with Athletic Bilbao.

He scored his first goal and a brace in a 5-1 victory against Rayo Vallecano. Coutinho scored 5 goals in 16 appearances during his loan with Espanyol before returning to Intern at the end of the season.

6. Coutinho made his Senior International Debut in 2010

Coutinho’s first senior international debut appeared in Brazil shirt on October 7, 2010, starting in a friendly match against Iran. Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari omitted him from Brazil’s 2014 FIFA World Cup.

In May 2018, Coutinho was named to the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On June 17, 2018, he scored in his FIFA World Cup debut with a curtain-rising, trademark right-footed curling shot.

In 2019 he earned his 50th cap for his nation in the tournament opening match on June 14 and needed twice in a 3-0 win over Bolivia. Coutinho participated in many games in Brazil and continues participating in them.

7. He has played for Barcelona

Barcelona purchased him from Liverpool after reaching an agreement on January 6, 2018. He made his first debut at Barcelona on January 25, 2008.

While still in Barcelona, he joined Bayern Munich on loan on August 19, 2019. He returned to Barcelona upon the arrival of new coach Ronald Koeman in 2020. 

On January 7, 2022, he joined Aston Villa on loan. On May 12, 2022, Chief Executive Christian Purslow announced that Coutinho was signed a permanent deal. He committed to a contract until 2026.

8. Coutinho is Sponsored by Nike Company

He is sponsored by sportswear company Nike. Nike is an American multinational corporation engaged in the design, manufacturing and worldwide marketing of footwear, accessories, service and apparel. Coutinho wears Nike Phantom Vision boots.

9. He is a Family man

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Coutinho moved to Italy at age 18 to join Inter Milan. He went with his parents and his girlfriend Aine, whom she met at a friend鈥檚 party.

When he moved to Espanyol, his parents returned to Brazil. He married Aine in the Summer of 2012 in Brazil. The couple has two daughters and one son. Also, Coutinho has tattoos down his arms which form tributes to his family and wife.

10. His Inspiration is Neymar

During an interview with FourFourTwo, he suggested that he had based his entire game around Neymar鈥� He鈥檚 our main idol in Brazilian football and someone young children look up to鈥�.

He added, “He鈥檚 a close friend of mine and it’s great to have a teammate the same age as me who I admire鈥�.