Philippe Coutinho is Anfield's humble hero

He listens intently to the names that have graced Anfield through the decades. But he seems reluctant to recognise that a list that concludes, chronologically, with Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez has perhaps been extended to include him.

The Kop calls him ‘O Magico’ and his reaction to mention of that moniker is to laugh rather nervously before bowing his head.

Sensing his embarrassment, the interpreter for this interview comes to his rescue. "Can I say something?" he says. "I’ve got to know Philippe over the last three years and he is exactly how you see him here. He doesn’t like being in the spotlight.

"I agree with what you are saying about his ability as a player. He is that good. If he feels comfortable on the pitch he can do anything. Everyone in the dressing room thinks like this. But it is not Philippe’s style to focus on himself."

Such an intervention might be considered inappropriate were it not for the fact that the interpreter is also Liverpool’s longest-serving player. Lucas Leiva, the absolute gentleman that he is, has agreed to help a young friend and fellow Brazilian tell his story.

It is a story that may have begun, Coutinho jokingly concedes, by accident. "My brothers are much older than me," says the 23-year-old. "One is in his 40s, the other in his late 30s."

So was he planned? "I don’t know," he says, chuckling. "I’ve actually never asked my parents."

I suggest that they must be pleased they had him, whatever the circumstances of his conception. "Thank you," he says, and then he goes on to describe his formative years in a northern district of Rio de Janeiro called Rocha. The neighbourhood is close to the Maracana Stadium and one of the city’s largest shanty towns, the Favela da Mangueira.

His father, Jose Carlos, was an architect. "He designed houses and other buildings," says Coutinho. "I wouldn’t say we were middle class. There was not lots of money for nice things. But we never wanted for the things we needed.

"Where we lived was a nice residential area but if you know Rio you understand you can be 100 metres from a favela. It could be a little dangerous on the streets, especially at night."

He first played football in the favela, on a small concrete futsal pitch he credits with teaching him the skills that make him such an exciting player.

"I started playing futsal in the favela because it was the closest pitch to where we lived," he says. "I think it was good for me, playing in a small space like that. You have to think and act quickly. You have to quickly come up with a solution to beat a player, because most of the time you are in a one-v-one."

Jose Carlos took the seven-year-old Coutinho to the academy at Vasco da Gama, one of Rio’s most famous clubs. At first he was not keen. "I cried a little," he says. "I didn’t really want to train." But before long he was among the club’s brightest prospects.

"It was a great place to learn," says Coutinho. "The coaching was good there and they had a school in the site of the academy. That made it easier to train. I ended up attending the school for three years."

By the time he was 16 scouts from around the world were aware of a player who possessed creativity, courage and commitment in equal measure. But it would be Inter Milan who turned his head, inviting him to follow the players he idolised.

"It came as a shock," he says. "I couldn’t believe a club like Inter Milan wanted to sign me at that age. But it was a great opportunity. And my family were so happy because it wasn’t common.

"From when I started to understand more about football, I always wanted to come to Europe. Ronaldinho was my hero and I wanted to be like him. All my heroes were playing here."

He finally made the move across to Inter at 18. What happened to the Maradona-like curly hair he sported then, a style he still wore when he arrived at Anfield three years ago? "It was beautiful, no?" he asks, again with a smile. His time in Italy he remembers less fondly. 

Jose Mourinho moved on within a few training sessions, and while he enjoyed a good relationship with Rafa Benitez he struggled to make an impact at the San Siro. So much so he was eventually sent to Espanyol on loan.

"Benitez was still important for me," he says. "He was my first manager in Europe and I learned a lot from him. He gave me a lot of opportunities but for some reason it did not go well. It’s hard to say why. I was very young. I had not so much experience. Maybe that didn’t help.

"I wouldn’t blame anyone. It just didn’t work for me. I do like the style of football here in England more. It’s more intense and all the teams try to play football. It is better for me here.

"It helped me, the style in Spain when I went to Espanyol. And Mauricio Pochettino, who was the manager there at the time, gave me a lot of confidence. He always encouraged me to play and show my skills. And he told me to enjoy it. In that sense I have been lucky with all my managers. They have all encouraged me to play my game."

The freedom he has been given to express himself has enabled him to become exactly the kind of player we like to see in a No 10 shirt. He scores some wonderful goals with that powerful shot and supporters and colleagues alike admire him for his energy and desire.
But it is those explosions of creative energy that so excite. That dazzling combination of speed, skill and flair.

Sensing the excitement in the voice of his interviewer, Coutinho is starting to shift a little uneasily in his seat again.

"I’m the same as everyone else," he says. "I just try to enjoy my football and do what the manager and the team ask of me. That’s it. I don’t stop to think who is the biggest star here. Who is the main player. We all have a role. On the pitch I just try to do what I can do."

He says he held Gerrard and Suarez in the highest regard but holds others in high esteem, too. "I did look up to them, yes," he says. "Of course they were big players. But they were not the only ones. Lucas is another."

Lucas laughs, and I apologise for the fact that he is having to listen to us discuss whether his team-mate and countryman has now filled the void left by Suarez, if he has given the club’s fans another Anfield idol. "I don’t mind," says Lucas. "I agree with you. He is the star player."

The trouble with players of such stature, Liverpool already know from bitter experience, is the interest they attract from others.

Jurgen Klopp’s appointment might have given the Merseysiders a fighting chance of keeping him but the more Coutinho plays, and the more it becomes apparent what a modest young man he is, the more likely it is that a big-money offer will arrive for a player who cost them just £8.5million. Most likely from one of the Spanish superpowers.

"For me I just think about the moment," says Coutinho. "And at this moment I just want to give my best for the club. And help the club. Liverpool is a big club and always will be."
Most immediately, that means an eagerly-awaited return to the starting line-up against West Brom at Anfield after missing four matches with a hamstring injury.

Does Klopp make Liverpool bigger still? "With him coming it could attract more good players, for sure," he says. "He is a big manager. A top manager. He gives the players a lot of confidence. He has a lot of experience. He’s open to listening to the players as well, so it’s good. But, as I say, I just focus on now and doing the best for my team. I don’t really think about these other things."

Right now he is actually more focused on matters even closer to home. His wife is expecting their first child a few weeks from now. "You can answer this question in English," says Lucas.

"It’s due on January 4," says Coutinho. "I always wanted to have a family. I’ve been away from Brazil a long time now, and my wife and I spend a lot of time with people who have children. We want a family too."

No accident then? "No," he smiles.

Source: Daily Mail

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