Philippe Coutinho is the Brazilian midfield maestro that has made his way from the concrete pitches of Rio to the biggest stage in football, at Barcelona’s Nou Camp. Barcelona paid Liverpool a club record fee of £142 million for Coutinho’s services and are set to make him one of the highest paid sportsmen in the world, with the footballer earning £12.5 million per annum. But what is Philippe Coutinho’s net worth?
Coutinho was born on the 12th June 1993 and grew up in Rio Di Janeiro’s northern district of Rocha. The son of architect José Carlos Coutinho, he grew up in modest surroundings – a far reach from the lifestyle he has become accustomed to as a footballer. He first kicked a ball alongside his older brothers on the futsal pitches close to his home.
It was whilst playing on the tight and congested concrete pitches of Rio that Coutinho earned the nickname ‘O Magico’ for his ability to weave in and out of players and magically find space where there apparently was none. He was spotted by Brazilian club Vasco Da Gama and flourished under their youth system.
At the age of 16 he gained the attention of Inter Milan who paid £4 million for him. His potential for stardom was apparent, even from this early age, with the sporting director of Inter, Piero Ausilio, describing him as the future of the club.
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Coutinho returned to Vasco on loan until the age of 18 before eventually making his first appearance for Inter Milan in 2010. His first goal for the club came in the second half of the season – a curling free kick, for which Coutinho has now become renowned for.
Coutinho’s most successful stint so far has been with Liverpool. He was purchased by the Merseyside club for £8.5 million in January of 2013 and was quick to integrate into the team, scoring three goals and recording 7 assists in his first season.
During his time at Liverpool he developed a reputation for his fierce long range shots and his quality of passing and vision in the final third. These talents led Barcelona to identify him as their main transfer target in the summer of 2017, but despite rumoured offers of £90 million, Liverpool refused to sell.
In spite of the transfer speculation Coutinho managed a total of 12 goals and nine assists during his final season with Liverpool and eventually got his dream move to Barcelona in January 2018. The record breaking £142 million deal makes him the third most expensive player of all time, behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
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In an interview with The Daily Mail Coutinho described the move to Barcelona as, “a dream, a place of magic for me.” The Times revealed that Coutinho was so keen to make the move that he paid about £11.5 million of his own money towards his transfer fee.
Whilst at Barcelona he is expected to be paid £240 000 a week, which works out as £12.5 million a year, before earnings from sponsorship deals and other ventures are added.
In an interview with FC Barcelona he described himself as a quite person who enjoys spending time with his family. Despite his impressive earnings Philippe revealed that he doesn’t have the most expensive tastes, preferring to dress simply and cook the Brazilian staple of rice and beans.
One of his few indulgences is his £120,000 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, whilst his new beachside property in Barcelona was picked for him by Louis Suarez.
He has also enjoyed a successful international career with Brazil. After first being called up to the national squad at the age of 18 he has made a total of 32 appearances, scoring 8 times.
It was reported that Coutinho was initially paid £75,000 a week by Liverpool FC until 2015 when his earnings were doubled. Over those years he will have amassed an estimated £23.4 million.
