A Brazilian player who plays for the Spanish giants Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho could easily be regarded as one of the players that would be highly important to the future of the sports. That is the reason why his former club, Liverpool had fought hard to keep him and his country has called him up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Here is all you need to know about him.
Philippe Coutinho Biography
The Barcelona attacker was born Philippe Coutinho Correia on 12 June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. He was raised alongside 3 brothers in the suburban district of Rocha which is also in Rio. Like many Brazilian stars including Marcelo, Coutinho began playing the futsal as a child before later switching to football.
His parents, Ze Carlos Coutinho and Dona Esmeralda Coutinho were only able to give their sons, Cristiano, Leandro, and Coutinho an average life since they were not rich.
Considering his footballing prowess, Coutinho has been nicknamed O Magico or little magician.
Wife
Phillippe is married to Aine Coutinho whom he had dated for many years. The two are said to be childhood lovers who started dating when they were still teenagers after they were introduced at a party by a mutual friend.
Although a Portuguese, Aine Coutinho was born in Rio de Janiero. She became the wife of the fast pace Brazilian star after they got married in 2012. Years down the line, the two have been blessed with two children, Maria Coutinho, and Philippe Coutinho Jr.
Since he was very young, the skills needed to succeed as a footballer were evident in him and that helped him to get signed to a youth club, Vasco da Gama, when he was only 7 years old. The youngster continued with the club until he got signed to Internazionale in 2008. He was later sent on loan to Vasco da Gama where he remained until 2010 only to be sent on loan again in 2012 to Espanyol.
In 2012, the attacking midfielder and winger made his big move to the English Premier League side Liverpool FC. After 5 years, 152 games, and 41 goals, he left the club for Barcelona. His departure from the club was not completely supported by the club’s manager Jurgen Klopp who had wanted to use him still. Nevertheless, having made a transfer request, the club had to let him go because it didn’t believe he would play well for the club again.
By the end of his first season in the La Liga, Coutinho had already recorded 8 goals after making 18 appearances. Also, by the end of the season, he had already recorded a La Liga title and a Copa del Rey.
He made his first appearance in the Brazilian colors in 2009 when he played for the country’s under-17 team, recording 3 goals in 5 matches. In 2011, he began for the under-20 team and netted 3 goals in his 7 appearances.
Philippe Coutinho got the opportunity to fly the flag of the country with the national team when he was called up in 2010. Before he was called to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, he had already made 35 appearances for the country scoring 9 goals in the process.
As part of his achievements, he has won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana in 2010, the South American Under-17 Football Championship in 2009, FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011, and the duo titles of La Liga and Copa del Rey in 2018.
Body Stats
The Barcelona attacking midfielder may not be heavily built, but he has a good body and the needed skills to succeed as a soccer player. As regards his general body stats, he reads thus:
- Height: 171cm (5 ft. 7in)
- Weight: 68kg (150 lbs)
- Chest – 36 in or 91.5 cm
- Arms/Biceps: 13.5 inches 34 cm
- Waist: 30 inches (76 cm)
Other Facts
He grew up as a very shy kid who at a young age was even shy to play football even though he had all the skills and talent.
Because his wife is from Portugal, Coutinho had almost sought Portuguese nationality in order to allow him to play for Barcelona. He had pointed out that even if he did that, which later turned out needless, he would have still remained a Brazilian player. That would have been possible because he will be an EU citizen since he was married to his wife for more than 3 years already.
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