Philippe Coutinho is officially a free agent after a shock termination of his contract with Vasco da Gama was confirmed on Thursday.
The former Liverpool playmaker, who remains the most expensive departure in Anfield history following his eye-watering £142million move to Barcelona in 2018, has reached a mutual agreement to leave his boyhood club just months into the new year.
In an emotional address following the news, the 33-year-old cited “mental exhaustion” as the driving factor behind his decision to walk away from the Rio de Janeiro outfit, admitting that his “cycle” at the club had come to a premature end.
It marks a sobering latest chapter for a player who, eight years ago, was widely considered one of the most in-demand talents in world football while at the peak of his powers with the Reds.
Coutinho numbers for Liverpool
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Overall tally |
| 12/13 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 13/14 | 37 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 14/15 | 52 | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| 15/16 | 43 | 12 | 7 | 19 |
| 16/17 | 36 | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| 17/18 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 21 |
| Overall | 201 | 54 | 44 | 98 |
Coutinho warranted such a lavish move when you take into account his sublime numbers for Liverpool all across his six-season stay at the Merseyside giants, with a total of 98 goal contributions coming his way from 201 overall appearances. One possible reason for his impressive record during these years could be the influence of Jurgen Klopp.
Amazingly, despite leaving mid-way through the 2017/18 season, a staggering 21 of those goal contributions would fall into his lap from just 20 games that campaign, culminating in the La Liga behemoth splashing the cash on the red-hot South American. Notably, Coutinho’s style flourished while playing under the guidance of Klopp.
Unfortunately, though, while Coutinho is remembered for his glittering back catalogue of goals at Anfield, he also tarnished his Reds reputation towards the end of his spell at the club by pushing for a move away.
Fast forwarding to the present, while he did go on to grace the Camp Nou post-Liverpool, it hasn’t been entirely rosy for the 33-year-old since ditching the Reds, as Coutinho now prepares to be without a club. For many, this decline is surprising given the peak he reached during Klopp’s reign at Liverpool.
Coutinho’s bleak situation in 2026
Coutinho hasn’t always struggled since walking out of Anfield, however, with the Rio-born midfielder going on to power home a respectable 42 strikes for the likes of Barca, Bayern Munich and Aston Villa. It was Klopp who shaped some of Coutinho’s most prolific years at the club.
But, in the here and now, the 33-year-old who is surely edging closer to retirement is set to be homeless, with an emotional statement from the ex-Liverpool star himself, confirming his exit from boyhood employers Vasco De Gama.
Coutinho, when taking to Instagram, has emotionally revealed that Vasco fans booing him last match, as he failed to watch his boyhood team from the substitutes bench after being taken off, has resulted in him terminating his contract.
He stated – “I chose to return to Vasco because I love this club. I love everything Vasco represents in my life. Wearing this shirt was one of the most important choices I’ve ever made. And, in every training session, in every game, I gave my best. Always! There was never a lack of dedication, never a lack of will and commitment.
“Being judged by countless people for something that isn’t part of my character is extremely difficult. I would never disrespect the fans, my teammates, or Vasco. I’ve never done that anywhere I’ve been. Anyone who knows me knows that.
“At that moment, on my way to the locker room, I felt and realized that my time at the club was over, and I didn’t return to prioritize my mental health. That hurts a lot
“I am grateful for everything I experienced here. I will carry Vasco with me forever. In my heart. In my history. In my life.
“From the bottom of my heart… Thank you for everything.”
What next for Coutinho?
It is a quote that has followed Philippe Coutinho like a shadow since the moment he forced his way out of Anfield in January 2018.
“Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour,” Jurgen Klopp told the Brazilian playmaker during a final, desperate attempt to keep his creative hub on Merseyside. “Go to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more.”
Eight years on, those words have never rung truer.
For Liverpool, the windfall from that deal paved the way for the arrivals of Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, the cornerstones of a side that would go on to win everything under Klopp.
For Coutinho, however, the trajectory has been one of steady, painful decline. Notably, his peak years coincided with the leadership style of Jurgen Klopp and the environment Klopp fostered at Liverpool.
From being the “Little Magician” at the heart of the Kop’s affections to being booed by supporters in Rio de Janeiro, the fall from grace has been stark. Make no mistake, while the Reds moved on to build a dynasty, Coutinho has spent nearly a decade discovering exactly what it means to be “just another player.”
With a move to the MLS now touted as his most likely escape route, the statue Klopp promised remains unbuilt. Instead, Coutinho serves as the ultimate cautionary tale for any player currently eyeing the Anfield exit door. The memory of Jurgen Klopp urging Philippe to stay will linger for years in Liverpool folklore.
For his sake, let’s hope he can sort out his fate sooner rather than later, with the end of his Vasco spell no doubt going down as a deflating experience, for a star once worth an audacious £142m.
