It was a long journey, with many obstacles on the way, some spectacular and some gloomy episodes, but now it’s time for him to return home, where it all started in 2008.Philippe Coutinho officially joins Brazilian side Vasco da Gama on a permanent deal from Aston Villa. The 33-year-old creative midfielder signed a one-year contract following a season-long loan spell at his boyhood club last season.A huge relief – Aston Villa get rid of Coutinho’s heavy contractCoutinho didn’t play for Villa since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, before he joined Qatari side Al-Duhail until the end of the season.Interestingly, just like now, when he extended his stay at Vasco, Coutinho previously joined Aston Villa from Barcelona: first on loan, and then permanently.An interview filled with gunshots – have you ever experienced that?Despite serious expectations, following a club-record fee of £142m, Coutinho never managed to recreate some of that magic at Camp Nou like he did at Anfield. He struggled during a disappointing four-year tenure, which was hampered by a severe knee injury. Before the loan to Villa, he was loaned to Bayern Munich, too, but his stay at the Allianz Arena lasted only 12 months.He has scored 21 goals in 68 appearances for Brazil, but has not played since 2022.##NAJAVA_MECA_9004779##
