Philippe Coutinho

Vasco da Gama

Coutinho flourished in Vasco da Gama's youth system and was soon called up to the Brazil national under-14 team. 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. In 2010, he made 31 appearances and scored 5 goals in all competitions as he established himself as a key player.

Inter Milan

2010–11 season

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…

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. Coutinho was named in the Brazil squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On 17 June 2018, he scored on his World Cup debut with a right-footed curling shot from outside the…

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. At his peak, Coutinho was regarded as one of the best players in his position. 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. Coutinho's elite vision and passing ability earned him the nickname "Little Magician" by Liverpool fans and his precocious ability has also led his team's supporters to give him the nickname "The Kid". Although naturally right-footed, Coutinho is capable of playing with both feet and can strike the ball particularly well from distance. He has a penchant for scoring from curling shots with his right foot from just outside or well outside the penalty area, especially after cutting inside from the left flank, and placing the ball into the top corner of the goal, which has led his former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp to compare him to Alessandro Del Piero. He is also a highly accurate free kick taker.

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.