The former Barcelona star whose market value dropped from €150m to €10m

Before they were hit by a terrible financial crisis, Barcelona used to make a splash in every transfer window. The Spanish club spent millions for years, but it proved costly. Not only financially, but also because not all of their signings paid off.

Many players fell short of expectations at Camp Nou, but it’s safe to say the most expensive flop was Philippe Coutinho. The Cules forked out €150 million to get him from Liverpool in January 2018. At the beginning, it looked like he just needed time to play like he did at Anfield.

According to Transfermarkt, Coutinho’s stock was still high in his first months at Barca. In October 2018, he was worth €150m. Flash-forward to 2023, his market value is just €10 million.

The rise and fall of Philippe Coutinho

Now it’s easy to say Barcelona were crazy to spend so much for Coutinho, considering how things turned out. But back in January 2018, it made sense to break the bank for the Brazilian.

Philippe Coutinho poses with the Barcelona shirt in 2018

Before joining the LaLiga giants, Coutinho was enjoying a wonderful time in Merseyside. He was by far the most important player in the Reds’ squad, as he set the tempo of the game, pulled the strings in the middle of the park and found ways to get on the scoresheet.

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Coutinho could shoot from anywhere and was practically unstoppable with the ball on his feet. Though Liverpool were already making progress under Jurgen Klopp, teaming up with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez seemed to be the perfect opportunity for him.

Though he didn’t make an immediate impact, Coutinho recorded seven goals and six assists in 18 LaLiga games to help Barca secure the title. But in the following season he left a lot to be desired.

Coutinho struggled for consistency after leaving Liverpool

With only five goals and two assists in 34 league games, the Rio de Janeiro-born player failed to establish himself in the lineup. In the summer of 2019, Barcelona sent him to Bayern Munich on a season-long loan. His time in Germany wasn’t great, but curiously, Coutinho scored against the Catalans in the infamous 8-2 Champions League quarterfinal.

The Vasco da Gama product returned to Spain in 2020, but didn’t seize his second chance at the club. In January 2022, Coutinho joined Aston Villa on loan at the request of former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard. The Villains made the move permanent six months later, but his level went downhill.

Gerrard was fired in October 2022, and Coutinho’s playing time plummeted under Unai Emery. In the summer, the English side sent the Brazilian on loan to Qatari outfit Al-Duhail SC. The 31-year-old’s market value has been in free fall since October 2018, and it doesn’t look like that will change.