Brazilian great Pele says Philippe Coutinho can win the Ballon D’Or at Liverpool, insisting he doesn’t need to move to Spain to prove himself.
Coutinho handed in a transfer request earlier this summer as he looked to force a move to Barcelona, but the Reds simply refused to negotiate with the Catalan giants.
The 25-year-old is said to be hurting after being denied his dream move, but will rejoin the first-team fold at Anfield after the international break.
Speaking to MARCA, Pele earmarked Coutinho and PSG’s record signing Neymar as Brazil’s finest talents and seemingly urged the Liverpool man to stay put for the moment.
Neymar has a football at his feet which is all he needs. Coutinho is a player I think we should all look at too because he is excellent for his team. No doubts at the moment though that Neymar is the one.
Asked if Coutinho needed to move to La Liga, he replied:
No. You don’t necessarily have to change teams all the time to prove you are good. It all depends on taking your opportunities.
Coutinho is expected to feature in Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Colombia on Tuesday before returning to Liverpool.
