19 hours Ago By Daniel Hepburn
Philippe Coutinho ’s career as a professional footballer has been something of a whirlwind. He started out at Vasco da Gama, a team he has now returned to on a temporary basis, before being spotted by Serie A juggernauts Inter Milan . In Italy is where the attacking midfielder really captured the attention of the footballing world.
So much so that Liverpool won the tug-of-war for his signature in the mid-season window of the 2012/13 Premier League campaign. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: In his 530-game senior career, Coutinho has plundered 124 goals and 83 assists. Spanning north of 200 appearances, Coutinho’s longest spell at a single club came between 2013 and 2018 for the Merseyside-based outfit.
The less said about his move to Barcelona , one of the most expensive transfers ever , the better. As of April 2025, he’s back in his homeland to ply his trade for Vasco da Gama – and after his latest showing, during a 3-3 draw against Melgar in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, a similar feeling has emerged from the club’s loyal fanbase. Brazil has produced some exceptional players over the years, but which of those stars has gone on to have the biggest transfer fees? Coutinho’s Start to Life for Vasco da Gama It took Coutinho, who won two La Liga titles during his time with Barcelona in Spain, just three minutes of action to prove that he is a cut above the rest.
That’s, of course, by virtue of his experience in European football circles. His goal was vintage Coutinho. Throughout his glittering 201-outing stint on the red side of the football-crazed city of Merseyside, there were very few that had mastered such a finish: a sweet, sweet curler that left the opposition goalkeeper with little to no chance.
Without a second thought, he received the ball near the right flank and made a subtle jink to his wanted position before combining power and precision to curl his effort into the top right corner. But that’s not where the fruits of his display ended. Philippe Coutinho - Club Career Statistics Club Appearance Goals Assists Yellow/Red Cards Liverpool 201 54 43 13/1 Barcelona 106 25 14 4/0 Vasco da Gama 56 10 5 6/1 Inter Milan 47 5 4 4/0 Bayern Munich 38 11 9 0/0 Al-Duhail FC 23 8 4 1/0 Espanyol 16 5 1 3/1 Regarded as one of the greatest South American players in Premier League history , the creative genius was involved in everything that Vasco da Gama managed to muster in their recent, six-goal thriller.
His assist was the epitome of that. An outside-the-foot ball delivered inch perfectly to the back post, where a teammate was waiting to do the easy bit and simply prod home? Tick. In 69 minutes, before he was replaced by Tche Tche, he took 27 touches on the ball – the majority of which were with purpose and direction.
In his stint on the pitch, he notched one key pass and created the same number of big chances. Much of the seasoned midfielder’s performance was punctuated by the intangible aspects – as evidenced by the footage below. He was Vasco’s tempo-setter in the heart of the action, anticipating the press and playing around the pressure.
Per Sofascore , to very little shock, Coutinho is his side’s highest-rated player (7.37) for the season thus far – and in that time, he’s thrown up 13 key passes, the same number of successful dribbles and seven of his 17 shots have been on target. Keeping it simple – yet imaginative, like he did at the peak of his powers – with his passing, the Brazilian’s 81% pass accuracy comes as no surprise, but you just have to marvel at his more-than-impressive 68% success rate for long passes.
Brazilian Fans Deliver Verdict on Coutinho Although Coutinho – widely regarded as one of the greatest January signings in Premier League history – will be returning to Villa Park in the summer of 2025, it’s Fabio Carille and his entourage who boast his talent until then. Thus far, the ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich creator-in-chief has racked up 12 games for his boyhood club and has racked up six goal involvements in that time – but how are his current employers’ fanbase feeling about his loan move? The player would go on to become one of the most expensive flops in football history. All translated into English, plenty of the Sao Januario Stadium faithful have issued a verdict on the 32-year-old.
“Coutinho is an efficient guy, despite not being able to participate as much in some games,” one fan wrote before adding: “And he’s now being trying more of those shots from outside, which is great news. Even at 20-30% of his capacity, I still believe he will excel. Admitting that the one-time Champions League winner deserved to be on the triumphant side.
“Shame for Coutinho who played absurdly and didn’t deserve this draw. The team didn’t play well but he played and deserved the victory.” they wrote.
Claiming that he took the game by the scruff of the neck, one fan claimed that Coutinho’s 69-minute cameo against Melgar is what fans have been yearning for in recent years. They wrote: “Coutinho put the game in his pocket. He scored one in his best style, gave a brilliant assist and participated in the third by giving the pre-assist.
The kind of performance that Vasco fans have dreamed of for years and seen with all they have the right to. Absurd match from number 11. “Philippe Coutinho played a lot of football today.
In some days he reminded me of Coutinho in prime mode,” another supporter added, before suggesting: “He left tired, precisely because he carried the team on his back in the first half.” All statistics per Transfermarkt and Sofascore - correct as of 03/04/2025.
