Philippe Coutinho returns to his roots. At 32 years old and after 14 years abroad, the Brazilian attacking midfielder returns to Vasco da Gama, the Rio de Janeiro club announced today.
“Philippe Coutinho is back in Brazil and will wear the Vasco da Gama shirt,” the historic club said in a statement. “He arrives on loan for a season and will wear the number 11 shirt.”
Although a month ago some information indicated that Coutinho had reached an agreement to disassociate himself from Aston Villa, the latter remaining the owner of his pass until June 30, 2026, hence the transfer of the player to Vasco da Gama.
“It’s a feeling of great happiness, joy and I can’t wait to play. I’ve lived away for a long time, so it really is a feeling of coming home, to the place where I grew up, to the club that I love,” he said. Coutinho on the Vasco da Gama website.
Aston Villa have already loaned out Coutinho during the 2023-2024 season at Al Duhail of Qatar and now he does it to Vasco da Gama, the club where he started his career before making the jump tol Inter Milan in 2010. At the Milanese club, which loaned him to Spanish from January to June 2012, he played until 2013, when he sold it to Liverpool and this in turn to Barcelona in January 2018 for 135 million euros. It was the most expensive signing of the Barcelona club, where he did not live up to expectations.
From Barça to Aston Villa
After giving it up for the first time to the Bayern Munich in the 2019-2020 season, Barcelona loaned him back to Aston Villa from January to June 2022 before transferring him permanently that summer for 20 million euros to the English club, backed by Steven Gerrardthe ‘villains’ coach who coincided with the Brazilian as a player at Liverpool.
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At Aston Villa, after a promising end to the 2021-2022 season, his performance declined in the following season, partly due to muscle problems, and he only managed one goal in 22 games. He was not part of the plans of Unai Emery, which relieved Gerrard at the head of the ‘villains’ in October 2022, hence the loan to Al Duhail. After his loan in Qatar ended, the Basque coach still did not count on him and now Coutinho go back home.
His titles
Throughout his career, the Brazilian player has won the Coppa Italia (2011) and Supercoppa Italiana (2010) with Inter, LaLiga (2018 and 2019), Copa del Rey (2018 and 2021) and Spanish Super Cup (2018) with Barcelona, the Bundesliga (2020), DFB Pokal (2020) and Champions League (2020) with Bayern Munich and the Copa América (2019) with the Brazilian national team.
