Philippe Coutinho Correia is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, on loan from Barcelona and the Brazilian national team.
Considered to be an archetypal Brazilian number 10 playmaker, Coutinho has been used as an attacking midfielder, second striker and on the flanks, 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. Although naturally right footed, Coutinho is capable of playing with both feet, and can strike the ball well from distance.
Coutinho made his debut for Internazionale in 2010 and was seen as the "future of Inter", but struggled to establish himself in the first team and was loaned to La Liga club Espanyol in 2012. In January 2013, he was signed by Premier League club Liverpool for £8.5 million. He flourished at Anfield. After he was named in the 2015 PFA Team of the Year, Brazilian legend Pele tipped Coutinho for a "great future". On 6 January 2018, Liverpool confirmed that they had reached an agreement with La Liga club Barcelona for the transfer of Coutinho.
Coutinho made his senior debut for Brazil in 2010 at the age of 18. He has since made over 30 appearances and represented the nation at the 2015 Copa America and the Copa America Centenario. |
