Philippe Coutinho Correia is a Brazilian professional footballer, who presently plays for the Brazilian national football team and for the Spanish club ‘Futbol Club Barcelona,’ better known as ‘FC Barcelona,’ or ‘Barcelona.’ His playing position is that of an attacking midfielder/winger. After displaying his talent in football as a kid, he was enrolled at a local football academy. He joined the youth wing of the Brazilian football club ‘Vasco da Gama’ and excelled there. He was signed by Italian football club ‘Internazionale,’ in 2008, only to be loaned back to ‘Vasco’ due to him being underage. In 2010, he made his senior debut for Brazil and for ‘Internazionale.’ ‘Internazionale’ loaned him to ‘Espanyol’ in 2012. He signed with the ‘Premier League’ club ‘Liverpool’ in January 2013 and gradually earned the epithet ‘Little Magician,’ for his dribbling, passing, and long-range striking skills, coupled with his vision. He was included in the ‘PFA Premier League Team of the Year’ in 2014â€"2015 and was named as the ‘Liverpool FC Fans’ Player of the Year’ in 2014â€"2015 and 2015â€"2016. He joined ‘Barcelona’ in January 2018.
He was born on June 12, 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to José Carlos Correia, an architect, and his wife, Esmerelda Coutinho. He was their third and youngest son. He grew up in the northern Rocha district of Rio.
He was drawn to football at a tender age. He would often accompany his elder brothers, Cristiano and Leandro, to a local concrete football pitch. There, he played futsal initially, and after displaying immense skill in football, he was enrolled at a local football academy.
Youth coaches of Brazilian football club ‘Vasco da Gama’ spotted his talent in a tournament and contacted his father. After attending a trial session, he joined the youth system of the club.
The youth system of ‘Vasco da Gama’ saw him prosper, and he was soon enlisted in the Brazil national ‘Under-15’ football team.
Famous Italian football club ‘Internazionale’ bought him for €4 million in July 2008, when he was just 16 years old. However, as foreign players less than 18 years of age were not allowed to play professional football in Italy, Coutinho was loaned to ‘Vasco’ for two years.
He aided ‘Vasco’ in winning the ‘Campeonato Brasileiro Série B’ title in 2009, thus clinching their promotion. The year that followed saw Coutinho become a key first-team player, with 31 appearances and five goals.
The Brazilian squad that won the 2009 ‘South American Under-17 Football Championship’ had Coutinho as a key player.
In July 2010, he became effective in ‘Internazionale’ and made his official debut with the club on August 27 the same year. His first goal for ‘Internazionale’ came from a free-kick in a match against ‘Fiorentina,’ on May 8, 2011.
Meanwhile, on October 7, 2010, he made his first senior appearance for Brazil.
He was loaned to the ‘La Liga’ club ‘Espanyol on January 30, 2012. He made his debut with ‘Espanyol’ on February 4, 2012, and scored his first goal for the club against ‘Rayo Vallecano’ in March that year. He returned to ‘Internazionale’ at the end of the season.
Coutinho signed a long-term contract with the ‘Premier League’ club ‘Liverpool,’ a confirmation of which came from the club on January 30, 2013. He made his debut with the club on February 11 that year, against ‘West Bromwich Albion.’ His first goal for the club was scored on February 17 the same year, when ‘Liverpool’ clinched a 5â€"0 victory against ‘Swansea City.’
He became ‘Liverpool's ‘Player of the Month’ for March 2013 and earned the ‘Man of the Match’ award the next month, in a match against ‘Newcastle United,’ in which Liverpool scored a 6â€"0 win.
He netted the first goal of the Merseyside derby held on November 23, 2013. ‘Liverpool’ and ‘Everton’ managed a 3â€"3 draw in the match held at Goodison Park.
He netted the winning goal of the 2014 match between ‘Liverpool’ and ‘Manchester City,’ thus leading ‘Liverpool’ to a 3â€"2 victory. With this win, ‘Liverpool’ moved seven points ahead of ‘Manchester City’ on the ‘Premier League’ table. However, ‘Manchester City’ eventually won the title, while ‘Liverpool’ finished second.
He signed a fresh long-term deal with ‘Liverpool’ on February 3, 2015, which meant he would be with the club till 2020. The match against the ‘Bolton Wanderers’ on February 4 that year, during the fourth round of ‘The Football Association Challenge Cup’ (FA Cup), ended in a 2â€"1 win for ‘Liverpool,’ with Coutinho scoring the winning goal.
In 2015, he won of the ‘PFA Fans' Player of the Month’ award for February. On March 1, 2015, he netted the winning goal for ‘Liverpool’ against ‘Manchester City.’ On April 26, 2015, he became the only player from ‘Liverpool’ to be included in the ‘PFA Premier League Team of the Year.’ On May 19, 2015, he was named ‘Liverpool’s Player of the Season.’
He was included in the squad for the 2015 ‘Copa América’ on May 5, 2015. His first international goal was scored on June 7 that year, when Brazil scored a 2â€"0 victory against Mexico.
The 2016 ‘Football League Cup’ final, played on February 28, 2016, at the ‘Wembley Stadium,’ London, witnessed Coutinho netting an equalizer goal against ‘Manchester City.’ ‘Manchester City’ went on to win the game in a penalty shoot-out, thereby clinching a 3â€"1 victory.
The match with ‘Manchester United’ on March 17, 2016, at ‘Old Trafford,’ that ended in a 1â€"1 draw, had Coutinho scoring the goal for ‘Liverpool.’ With this, he aided the club in garnering a 3â€"1 aggregate win that qualified them for the ‘UEFA Europa League’ quarter-finals.
On April 21, 2016, he netted the last goal of the 4â€"0 victory of ‘Liverpool’ against ‘Everton’ in the Merseyside derby.
Soon, he was included in the Brazilian squad for the ‘Copa América Centenario.’ He scored a hat-trick in the second group game at the ‘Citrus Bowl’ on June 8, 2016, which Brazil won 7â€"1, over Haiti.
During the 2016â€"2017 season, he was voted as the ‘Man of the Match’ for three matches in a row against ‘West Bromwich Albion,’ ‘Crystal Palace,’ and ‘Watford,’ respectively. Coutinho signed a new five-year contract with the club in January 2017, which meant he would be with the club till 2022.
He scored the 30th ‘Premier League’ goal of his career in a match against ‘Stoke,’ and with this, emerged as the leading Brazilian goal-scorer in the history of the ‘Premier League.’
The final group game of the 2017â€"2018 ‘UEFA Champions League,’ held on December 6, 2017, witnessed Coutinho serve as the captain of ‘Liverpool,’ for the first time, due to absence of Jordan Henderson. He scored his first hat-trick for the club in the same game. Liverpool scored a 7â€"0 victory over ‘Spartak Moscow.’
'Liverpool’ confirmed an agreement regarding the transfer of Coutinho, with the ‘La Liga’ club ‘Barcelona,’ on January 6, 2018. His made his debut with ‘Barcelona’ on January 25, 2018, when the club scored a 2â€"0 victory over ‘Espanyol’ during the ‘Copa del Rey’ quarter-finals.
He scored his first goal for ‘Barcelona’ against ‘Valencia CF,’ on February 8, 2018, during the second leg of the semi-finals of the ‘Copa del Rey.’
Coutinho, a devout Christian, married his girlfriend, Aine, in Brazil, in the summer of 2012.
