Philippe Coutinho has played with some phenomenal players throughout his career.
The Brazilian has lined up in teams at Liverpool, Barcelona and Inter Milan, while every football fan knows the rich history associated with the Brazilian national team.
This has seen Coutinho play with the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, stars who are all considered to be among the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots.
Liverpool were not blessed with the stars they have today when Countinho first arrived at Anfield and even towards the later stages of his career on Merseyside, the players such as Mohamed Salah had not yet become a superstar.
This made Coutinho’s challenge of picking a five-a-side team an interesting one and the midfielder did opt for two former Liverpool teammates.
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Philippe Coutinho includes two Liverpool heroes in five-a-side team
Coutinho left Liverpool in 2018 to join Barcelona as part of a £105m deal, a transfer which changed the course of the Reds’ history with the players they brought in with that money – such as Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.
Many Liverpool fans view the sale of Coutinho as the best transfer business they have ever done, however, the Brazilian was loved whilst at Anfield and played with many great players on Merseyside.
When asked by Soccer Am to choose his best five-a-side team back in 2017, the midfielder left out Jamie Carragher but would include Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.
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“Stevie G, that was easy,” Coutinho said when asked to pick one midfielder. “One of the best I played with. I learned a lot from him. When I arrived here it was a dream to play with him. I used to watch him in Brazil and play with him on the PlayStation.”
When it came to the forwards, Coutinho picked Neymar, who was one of the best players in the world at the time and alongside him was Suarez, a duo that proved they could work together at Barcelona.
“He is a top player. The word I would use is a ‘killer’ in front of the goal,” Coutinho said about Suarez. “He doesn’t miss if he has a chance… I have played with a lot (of good forward players) and I think he is the best one (in front of goal.)”
Honourable Liverpool mentions for Coutinho’s team
Salah is the notable name left out of Coutinho’s team but the duo would have only played together for half a season before the midfielder left Anfield.
Daniel Sturridge would have been a name the Brazilian may have considered including as the Englishman was on fire during his first two seasons at Anfield and formed a good relationship with Coutinho.
Roberto Firmino would have had a great chance of being included as the former Liverpool forward was a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s team when Coutinho was at Liverpool. The midfielder mentioned his fellow Brazilian and it seems that Suarez’s finishing ability saw him make the cut over the current Al-Ahli star.