Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa, and the Brazil national team.

He is known for his combination of vision, passing, dribbling and ability to conjure curling long-range shots.

Coutinho showed prodigious talent and excelled in Vasco da Gama's youth system.

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.

Coutinho flourished in Vasco da Gama's youth system and was soon called up to the Brazil national under-14 team.

He was signed by Serie A club Inter Milan in 2008 for €4 million and subsequently loaned back to Vasco, where he became a key player.

In July 2008, at age 16, he signed for Serie A club 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.

He made his debut for Inter Milan in 2010, and was later loaned to La Liga club Espanyol in 2012.

Coutinho made his senior international debut for Brazil in 2010.

In 2010, he made 31 appearances and scored 5 goals in all competitions as he established himself as a key player.

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, Coutinho made his debut for Inter as a substitute during a 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, which saw Inter progress to the quarter-final of the 2010–11 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.

During the 2011–12 season, Coutinho struggled to establish himself in Inter's team, leading him to join La Liga club Espanyol on 30 January 2012 on loan until the end of the season.

He made his debut on 4 February, starting in a 3–3 draw with Athletic Bilbao.

The following month, he scored his first goals for Espanyol side when he scored a two goals in a 5–1 victory against Rayo Vallecano.

He scored 5 goals in 16 appearances during his loan with Espanyol before returning to Inter at the end of the season.

Following the expiry of his loan deal with Espanyol, Coutinho returned to Inter Milan but once again struggled to find game time at the San Siro, making just 10 league appearances and scoring one goal in the 2012–13 season.

In January 2013, Coutinho joined Premier League club Liverpool.

On 26 January 2013, Premier League club Liverpool agreed an £8.5 million transfer fee with Inter Milan for Coutinho, pending a medical exam and a work permit.

Southampton had also expressed an interest but Coutinho said he would prefer to join Liverpool.

On 30 January, Liverpool confirmed the signing of Coutinho on a long-term contract.

The former director of football at Liverpool, Damien Comolli, later revealed Liverpool had scouted and ultimately signed Coutinho following a recommendation by then-Inter Milan manager and former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez, who said the Brazilian would be "world class".

Coutinho made his Liverpool debut on 11 February 2013, as a 77th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home defeat against West Bromwich Albion.

He flourished at Liverpool, being named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2015.

At Liverpool, he formed a formidable attacking quartet with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané.

He was part of the squad at the 2015 Copa América and the Copa América Centenario in 2016, and made his FIFA World Cup debut at the 2018 World Cup, in which he scored two goals.

In January 2018, Coutinho signed for Barcelona and won two La Liga titles with the club.

He was loaned to German club Bayern Munich for the 2019–20 season, being part of the team that won a treble including the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League.

He went on loan to Aston Villa in January 2022 before signing permanently for them in the summer.

He was also a member of the Brazil team that won the 2019 Copa América on home soil.