The long wait has finally come to an end as the £142 million Brazilian player (Philippe Coutinho) made his first debut in the Spanish Cup for Barcelona. Since his move from Liverpool to Barcelona, he has been sidelined due to injury and the question from the lips of many football lover is, when will he be able to play in the Barcelona shirt?
Finally, the wait is over as he made his first appearance for Barcelona on the return leg of the quarter finals of the Spanish Copa Del Rey against city rivals, Espanyol.
He was subbed to replace the veteran midfielder, Andreas Iniesta and it took him little or no time to really settle down and bring his game on. During the first few minutes of his introduction, he made some inch perfect passes and made a very good impression in the heart of the fans
"It has been a special day because these were my first minutes with this club," Coutinho said.
"It was a great night. I am very happy and excited, because of how the fans welcomed me.
"I was a little nervous and anxious because of how big a club this is, but the way everyone welcomed me helped me to relax."
He now knows what it feels like to play for Barça at the Camp Nou, after replacing Andrés Iniesta for the final stretch of the match against Espanyol. The Brazilian took to the field on 68 minutes and received a standing ovation as he did so.
He quickly settled into the game and showed his quality with three sharp one-twos and several passing combinations, one of which almost ended in a second goal for Luis Suárez. In total, Coutinho completed 25 passes and recovered the ball on three occasions.
After finishing the game, he acknowledged his happiness on what was a perfect debut: "I'm very happy here and excited, and the reception I received was very special. I was anxious and nervous to begin with, but I’m very happy about the win, which was the most important thing."
In overall, we can rightly say he has a good game in his first debut and made a good impression but how long will he continue in this form? won't injuries mar his career in Barcelona? Only time will tell.
What do you think???