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Philippe Coutinho

Brazilian footballer
Date of Birth : 12 June, 1992 (Age 33)
Place of Birth : Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Profession : Footballer
Nationality : Brazilian, Portuguese
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Philippe Coutinho Correia (ফিলিপে কুতিনিয়ো) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Vasco da Gama. 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. 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. 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 Premier League club Liverpool. He flourished at Liverpool, being named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2015, and being named Liverpool's fans' and players' player of the year in 2015 and 2016. 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 of 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.

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.

International career

Having made youth appearances for Brazil from the under-14 team upwards, Coutinho became a key player in the Brazil squad that won the 2009 South American U-17 Championship, scoring three goals.

The 18-year-old made his debut for the Brazil national team on 7 October 2010, starting in a friendly match against Iran. He was omitted from the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil by manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. On 19 August 2014, Coutinho was called up to the national squad by new Brazil manager Dunga for the friendly matches against Colombia and Ecuador in September, and played the final 25 minutes of the match against Ecuador. On 29 March 2015, he was selected to start in Brazil's 1–0 friendly victory over Chile in London. Coutinho was included in Brazil's squad for the 2015 Copa América, and he scored his first international goal on 7 June during a 2–0 friendly win over Mexico at Allianz Parque.

In May 2016, Coutinho was included in Brazil's squad for the Copa América Centenario in the United States. On 8 June, in the second group match at the Camping World Stadium, he scored a hat-trick in a 7–1 win against Haiti. Brazil did not advance past the group stage after losing 1–0 to Peru. On 28 March 2017, Coutinho scored in a 3–0 win against Paraguay that ensured Brazil qualified for the 2018 World Cup.

Style of play

Considered to be an archetypal Brazilian number 10 advanced playmaker, Coutinho has been used as an attacking midfielder, second striker, as a central midfielder in a number 8 role, and even as a wide attacking midfielder on the wing, where he excels at providing assists for teammates.

Due to his dribbling ability, pace and agility, he has been compared to Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho by his former Espanyol manager Mauricio Pochettino, who also said, "Philippe... he has a special magic in his feet." Former Brazilian striker Careca has also compared Coutinho to Zico due to his creativity and was highly praised by his Liverpool teammates.

Personal life

When Coutinho moved to Italy at age 18 to join Inter Milan, he was joined there by his parents and his girlfriend Ainê, whom he had first met at a friend's party. On moving to Espanyol, his parents returned to Brazil. He married Ainê in 2012 in Brazil. The couple have two daughters and one son. Coutinho has tattoos down his arms which form tributes to his family and his wife. He is a Christian.

During the early morning hours of 20 February 2018, Coutinho found his Barcelona home burgled. He had been out eating dinner with his family, and he was having construction work done on his house, which made it easier for burglars to break in.

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