Philippe Coutinho, the former Barcelona and Liverpool midfielder, has made a significant move back to his childhood club, Vasco da Gama, in Rio de Janeiro.
The 32-year-old Brazilian international joins Vasco on a season-long loan from Aston Villa, marking a return to the club where his soccer journey began.
After commanding a record-breaking transfer fee of $186 million to Barcelona in 2018, Coutinho experienced stints with Bayern Munich and Aston Villa on loan before permanently signing with the latter in 2022. His recent loan to Al-Duhail in Saudi Arabia last season saw him score three goals in 16 appearances.
Expressing his emotions on returning to Vasco da Gama, Coutinho remarked, “It’s a feeling of great happiness, joy and anxiety. I lived abroad for a long time, so it really is a feeling of coming home, to the place where I grew up, to the place I love, the club I love.”
Source – Philippe Coutinho returns to childhood club on loan (mundodeportivo.com)
