Barcelona The making of Philippe Coutinho: how Espanyol polished Barcelona’s diamond The career of Barça’s new signing owes much to a revitalising stint across the city under Mauricio Pochettino six seasons ago To the left, the £142m Philippe Coutinho of Barcelona and to the right an on-loan Philippe Coutinho at Espanyol in 2012. Composite: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images; Jasper Juinen/Getty ImagesEverything has come full circle for Philippe Coutinho. Philippe Coutinho makes Barcelona debut after £142m Liverpool move Read moreSome things have stayed the same. It was fitting that Coutinho’s debut would be against Espanyol, the club that arguably saved his young career. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Philippe Coutinho replaced Andrés Iniesta in the 68th minute against Espanyol to make his Barcelona debut.

Source: The Guardian January 27, 2018 09:56 UTC