Coutinho joins Aston Villa: When the Brazilian midfielder revealed he played as Steven Gerrard on PlayStation

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Jan 7, 2022, 6:17 PM IST

It's official. Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho has joined Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season.

Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho on Friday (January 7) joined Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season. According to an official statement released, the agreement that is subject to the footballer completing a medical and receiving a work permit includes an option to buy, and Coutinho will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours. Reports say the buy option clause for Aston Villa will be valid until June, and it's understood to be 40 million euros.

The Brazilian midfielder's return to Premier League also marks a reunion with Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard, whom Philippe Coutinho idolised as a child and lauded him as the best midfielder he has ever played alongside. Coutinho had played alongside Gerrard in his two-and-a-half years at Liverpool before moving to Camp Nou in January 2018 for a club record of 146 million pounds.

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In a November 2017 interview with Soccer AM, Philippe Coutinho revealed his ideal five-a-side team, including Steven Gerrard. Calling playing with the current Aston Villa boss at Anfield as a 'dream', Coutinho also said that while growing up in Brazil, he watched Gerrard play and played as the Liverpool legend on PlayStation.

"He (Gerrard) was an idol for me – for everyone. But when we were together in the dressing room or watching him train, it's different – he's better, even better," the Brazilian midfielder had stated.

Praising Steven Gerrard's football skills, Philippe Coutinho had added, "He was great in everything; passing, shooting, defending. And he scored lots of goals." The Brazilian also named Gerrard the captain of his five-a-side team, as he is the leader. Others who made it to Coutinho's team were: Goalkeeper Julio Cesar (Played with Coutinho for Inter Milan and Brazil), Defender Lucio (Played with Coutinho at Inter Milan and Brazil), Striker Neymar (Played with Coutinho for Brazil), and Forward Luis Suarez (Played with Coutinho for Liverpool). Wesley Sneijder, with whom Coutinho had played in Inter Milan, was named a substitute, while Brazil's coach Adenor Leonardo Bacchi (Tite) was named as coach of Coutinho's five-a-side team.

Also read: Will Coutinho fill the Grealish void as he reunites with Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard?

Meanwhile, ahead of Coutinho's singing, Aston Villa boss Stevven Gerrard heaped praises for the midfielder, saying that the midfielder is a serial winner. "63 caps for Brazil, a serial winner, Coutinho was incredible at Liverpool, so I can understand why he is linked to a lot of football clubs," Gerrard said.

Expressing that he has an incredible amount of respect for Coutinho, Gerrard added that he understands why many supporters in the country speak about him. "I do not think you get a nickname as a magician if you're not a special footballer," the Aston Villa manager stated.

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