Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho, a devout Christian, married his girlfriend, Aine, in Brazil, in the summer of 2012.

He was born on June 12, 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to José Carlos Correia, an architect, and his wife, Esmerelda Coutinho. He was their third and youngest son. He grew up in the northern Rocha district of Rio.

He was drawn to football at a tender age. He would often accompany his elder brothers, Cristiano and Leandro, to a local concrete football pitch. There, he played futsal initially, and after displaying immense skill in football, he was enrolled at a local football academy.

Youth coaches of Brazilian football club ‘Vasco da Gama’ spotted his talent in a tournament and contacted his father. After attending a trial session, he joined the youth system of the club.

The youth system of ‘Vasco da Gama’ saw him prosper, and he was soon enlisted in the Brazil national ‘Under-15’ football team.

Famous Italian football club ‘Internazionale’ bought him for €4 million in July 2008, when he was just 16 years old. However, as foreign players less than 18 years of age were not allowed to play professional football in Italy, Coutinho was loaned to ‘Vasco’ for two years.

He aided ‘Vasco’ in winning the ‘Campeonato Brasileiro Série B’ title in 2009, thus clinching their promotion. The year that followed saw Coutinho become a key first-team player, with 31 appearances and five goals.

The Brazilian squad that won the 2009 ‘South American Under-17 Football Championship’ had Coutinho as a key player.

In July 2010, he became effective in ‘Internazionale’ and made his official debut with the club on August 27 the same year. His first goal for ‘Internazionale’ came from a free-kick in a match against ‘Fiorentina,’ on May 8, 2011.