"I couldn't say no to my dream" - Philippe Coutinho opens up on leaving Liverpool for Barcelona and sheds light on underwhelming LaLiga stint
Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has opened up on his move to Barcelona from the Reds. He said a move to Camp Nou was like a dream and thus he couldn't turn down the Catalan side's advancements.
Coutinho also shed light on his Aston Villa move, saying he only joined them because of Steven Gerrard. He said on Premier League Stories (via Tribal Football):
"I have no regrets. I needed to change teams, right? I wasn't in Barcelona's plans anymore. I needed to play, right? And go to a club that wanted me. Well, it was mainly because of (Steven) Gerrard (that I joined Aston Villa). He was the coach. I remember he called me on the phone and we talked and saw that there was this possibility to go there on loan.
"It was great to go there but things also didn't happen as we expected. I had this dream to play for Barcelona. Then the opportunity presented itself and I couldn't say no to my dream. We had loads of conversations. At that time, I really wanted to move to Barcelona. We had many discussions about staying, about leaving. But, eventually, the club agreed to let me go and I joined Barcelona."
Coutinho joined Barcelona in January 2018 for a reported £142 million. The Brazilian played just 106 matches for the Catalan side, scoring 25 and assisting 14 goals. He had loan spells at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa before he joined the latter permanently in the 2022 summer window.
Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho recalls Barcelona experience
Philippe Coutinho admitted that he couldn't maintain a decent level at Barcelona despite a good start at the club. The former Liverpool star added that he needed support from his family to get through the tough phase and said:
"The beginning was really good. My first six months at Barcelona were great. We won a title and I was playing really well. But the following season, after the World Cup, I was not in the same shape. My performances dipped and that was tough for me. I wanted to meet expectations, my own expectations as well but I just wasn't able to. That period was really challenging for me but I leaned on my family and in my faith, I've always believed in God. That helped me stay strong through it all."
Coutinho played 201 matches for Liverpool, scoring 54 times and assisting 44.