With the sale of Neymar to PSG a few years ago in the 2017-18 season, Barcelona went looking for the next superstar who could replace Neymar at the Spanish club, however, the signings that came after the Brazilian star never managed to shine at the club.
This situation occurred with a young and very talented Brazilian player who arrived from Liverpool, looking to make a place for himself in the history of one of the most popular teams in the world. Unfortunately for him and the fans of the Cule club, his performance was disappointing, ending abruptly from one moment to the next, going down in history not for what he did on the field but for what he never managed to do.
Philippe Coutinho terminates his contract with Vasco da Gama
The 33-year-old former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has decided to break his ties with his current club and team of his heart, Vasco da Gama, due to mental health problems according to the player himself.
Coutinho, after having the spotlight of the whole world after his excellent spell at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, Barcelona came with an irresistible offer of 120 million and 40 in variables that the Brazilian could not ignore, ending up signing with the Catalan club in January 2018, even after the words of the German coach who asked him to stay.
Coutinho signed a five-and-a-half-year contract, but his first spell with the Catalan club was full of very poor performances, which gradually relegated him to the bench without ever showing the brilliant play with which he had enchanted in the Premier League.
Due to his poor form, Barcelona loaned him to Bayern Munich in 2019. The Brazilian would score two goals and an assist in the German team’s historic 8-2 victory in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Barcelona, the same tournament in which the Munich club would win against PSG.
After his brief spell in Germany, the player returned to Barcelona. His second spell was no better than the first and at the beginning of 2022 he was loaned to Aston Villa in the Premier League, who bought the player for 20 million euros. He had a brief spell at the English club, before being loaned to Qatar, where he would later be bought by the Brazilian club in 2024.
Philippe Coutinho terminates his contract with Vasco da Gama
Through a statement on his social networks, Coutinho mentioned why he terminated his contract with Vasco da Gama, the club of his heart and where he was formed as a footballer in its youth ranks.
There was never a lack of commitment, there was never a lack of desire and commitment; to be judged by countless people for something that is not part of my character is very difficult
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