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Here's What Happened The First Time Coutinho Played At The Nou Camp

Here's What Happened The First Time Coutinho Played At The Nou Camp

Coutinho played there before as an Espanyol player...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Philippe Coutinho was officially unveiled as a Barcelona player at the Nou Camp, but it wasn't his first visit to the iconic stadium.

By the time he makes his debut for Barcelona debut, he will have turned out for the two main Catalonian clubs.

Image: PA
Image: PA

That's because in 2012, prior to his meteoric rise to one of the Premier League's chief playmakers, Coutinho, then plying his trade for Inter Milan, was sent on loan to Barca's rivals Espanyol.

He made 16 appearances for the club under Mauricio Pochettino, who would of course then go on to manage Southampton and Tottenham in the Premier League.

During that loan spell, a 19-year old Coutinho came up against Barcelona, his new employers, at the Nou Camp.

Image: YouTube
Image: YouTube

The game was actually Pep Guardiola's final fixture at the Nou Camp and it was certainly a memorable one, as Lionel Messi scored all four goals in a 4-0 rout in the Catalonia derby.

On as a substitute in the second half, with Barcelona already two goals to the good. Coutinho failed to completely affect the game as we have saw him do on so many occasions for Liverpool, but did show flashes of his mercurial talents with a fair few exciting dribbles and defence-splitting passes.

What could have been at Liverpool:

Fast forward to the present day, and a more complete and well-rounded Coutinho is waiting to take the Nou Camp pitch in the Blaugrana colours.

Image: PA
Image: PA

But it looks like the Brazilian will have to wait a little longer than he would like to for his debut. Barcelona announced that, like Liverpool said, the 25-year old does indeed have a thigh problem and will be sidelined for around three weeks.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Liverpool, Nou Camp, Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho, La Liga, Inter Milan