Philippe Coutinho's top five league goals for Liverpool
The only team to have won the World Cup a record five times, Brazil have constantly produced supremely talented, world-class players.
Players such as Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka and now Neymar are known to most football fans around the world and the skills of these players have earned respect and applause from every corner of the footballing world.
However, most of these Samba players made their name either in the La Liga with Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid or in Italy with the Milan clubs of Inter and AC Milan. The Premier League has never been home to these masters of the game, for the most part.
However, in recent years, there has been a wave of Brazilian players making their way to England trade with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino at Liverpool, Willian and David Luiz at Chelsea, Fernandinho and Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City and Gabriel Paulista at Arsenal.
These players have played a crucial role in their club’s ambitions and while Manchester City’s latest young entrant this January, Jesus, is highly-rated, no Brazilian player is as highly spoken about as Coutinho. The 24-year-old’s ability has been on display for a while now and with the fact that he is entering his peak years, a number of teams, especially Barcelona, are eager to prise away the Liverpool No. 10, if an opportunity arises.
Coutinho underlined his credentials by coming off the bench to score the equaliser against Stoke City in gameweek 32 of the Premier League and his Brazilian team-mate scored a Suarez-esque goal to win the match for the Reds.
By scoring the goal, Coutinho created a piece of Brazilian history by crossing former Middlesbrough attacker Juninho to become the highest scoring Brazilian in the history of the Premier League.
The goal was his 30th for Liverpool in the league and given his age, one can be assured that he will set a high benchmark for Brazilians who are in the league or join the league later, to live up to.
His current competition is his team-mate Firmino who is 4th on the list with 20 goals. Further, Coutinho has 28 assists in the league, another Brazilian record, while Firmino has 13 assists in the league at the end of gameweek 32 this season.
Also Read – Barcelona Transfer News: Neymar describes Coutinho as a “perfect fit” for Barcelona
The links will not stop for the 24-year-old as he grows in stature, especially from Barcelona, where his national team-mate Neymar plays. He recently signed a new bumper contract at Liverpool, becoming the highest-paid player in Jurgen Klopp’s side. While the ramblings off the pitch continue, Coutinho’s on-field performances are something to savour for football purists and each one of his 30 goals makes for delightful viewing.
Here are his top 5 goals based on importance and the skill involved.
#5 QPR, May 2013
In his first season at the club, having joined in January 2013, Coutinho combined well with Daniel Sturridge in Luis Suarez’s absence. When QPR arrived at Anfield in May, Coutinho took the opportunity to display his long-range shooting ability.
Receiving the ball from Jordon Ibe, Coutinho was given plenty of space and instead of performing a trick or splitting open the defence, the Brazilian scored an absolute rocket from around 30 yards out that landed in the bottom corner. The goal was a teaser for what was to come and it reminded people of a young Steven Gerrard.
(Video Courtesy – Merseysides YouTube Channel)