PHIL’S SPANISH CRY
£142m MAN Coutinho: I gave Liverpool everything but I’ve joined biggest club in world
PHILIPPE COUTINHO paid tribute to Liverpool as he was unveiled by Barcelona.
But he admitted the pull of the Nou Camp was just too hard to resist.
Coutinho was officially introduced as a Barca player yesterday following his £142million switch and immediately sought to appease Liverpool fans angered by his move.
The Brazilian playmaker, whose move ensured the Reds made a staggering £133.5m profit on a player they signed for just £8.5m, insisted he gave all he could to end his former club’s long wait for the title.
But in the end it was simply not enough. Reflecting on his five years at Liverpool that yielded no trophies Coutinho said: “I gave everything I could.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t win any cups but in five years my family was happy there.
“I would like to thank Liverpool, the fans, staff, players and directors who understood what I wanted and they tried very hard to convince me to stay.
“To the fans who shared five years with me – thank you.”
The 25-year-old wasted no time in hailing his new employers as the “best club in the world” upon his arrival and one he clearly feels can match his ambition, unlike Liverpool. Coutinho said: “Barca is the best club in the world. Great idols of mine played here or are playing here so it was an easy decision.
“Many times I’ve dreamed of scoring important goals here. I’ve dreamed of playing here many times and now I’m happy.
“This is the most important club of all. Great Brazilian players have been here and I hope to be able to contribute with more success.
“It’s incredible to know I’ll be around idols, with players who have such a great history like Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets – all the greats.
“To be able to play football, win titles, make the fans happy and play with a smile. These are the objectives.”
Titles were the one thing missing from Coutinho’s five-year spell with Liverpool.
But the midfield star is unlikely to suffer the same fate at Barca, who are nine points clear at the top of La Liga, with their only defeats this season coming to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup in August.
Since then the Catalans have been undefeated in 27 games in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey despite having lost Neymar in the summer to PSG in a worldrecord £198m deal.
Coutinho revealed Brazil team-mate Neymar, who he has replaced at Barca, was one of the first to congratulate him on the move but denied he felt any pressure to live up to his predecessor’s exploits.
Coutinho said: “I play with Neymar for Brazil and we have been friends for years.
“We’re different players. He’s obviously a great player but we have different qualities.
“Neymar congratulated me and told me there’s an incredible team here.”
Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitted the club had been determined to land Coutinho since last summer, when they failed with three offers for the playmaker, with Liverpool standing firm as the bids reached £120m.
Bartomeu said: “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get him. We’ve been talking and working for months on this.
“But one of the important aspects was he always wanted to come here.”
COUTINHO