Philippe Coutinho has joined Al Duhail.
Al Duhail officially announced the signing of Coutinho via their official channel on Monday (September 9), saying, “We have decided to loan the Brazilian international and Aston Villa player for one season.” The contract is for one year and Coutinho will wear the number 9 shirt.스포츠토토
Coutinho was a player who could easily be labeled a prodigy. He was discovered at an early age in the Brazilian league, which is full of talented players, and by the time he was a teenager, he was already being touted as the future of the Brazilian national team. Coutinho lived up to the hype and made an early move to Europe, joining Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan in his mid-teens.
Liverpool then took an interest in Coutinho and signed him in the winter transfer window during the 2012-13 season. Coutinho’s time at Liverpool has been nothing short of spectacular. Early on in his career, he was criticized for not adapting to the team, but once he found his feet, he was considered one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League (PL). His winding kicks from his powerful ankles were particularly spectacular, with the left side of the penalty area being dubbed the ‘Coutinho Zone’ and his shots from that position being his trademark.
Coutinho left Liverpool for Barcelona in the 2017-18 winter transfer window following a stellar season at the club. His time with the Reds ended on a sour note when news broke that his relationship with manager Jürgen Klopp had fallen apart in his final season at the club.
Barcelona was a dark period in Coutinho’s career. Barcelona gave Coutinho consistent opportunities, but he couldn”t break out of his slump. A loan spell at Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 season seemed to revitalize his career, but when he returned to Barcelona, injuries and poor form reduced him to mediocrity.
It wasn’t until the 2021-22 season that Coutinho made a comeback. Coutinho was sent out on loan to Aston Villa by Steven Gerrard, who had previously played with him at Liverpool. Coutinho quickly became Villa’s ace in the hole, playing like a man made for the occasion. Villa bought Coutinho outright at the end of the season.
Last season, Coutinho was unable to replicate that form. Coutinho suffered a hamstring injury in November, right in the middle of the season, which kept him out of action for a while, while Villa’s managerial transition to Unai Emery shook things up. Unlike Gerrard, Emery didn’t give Coutinho much of a chance, and the Frenchman was linked with a move to a Middle Eastern club midway through last season.
As the season progressed and his position remained unchanged, Coutinho eventually opted for a move to Qatar. Once considered one of the greatest talents born in 1992, Coutinho’s departure to the Middle East will come as a surprise to many. Coutinho was once recognized as one of the most talented players to be born in 1992, alongside the likes of Neymar, Son Heung-min, and Mario Gotze. However, it now seems unlikely that Coutinho’s career or form will ever recover.