In a dramatic turn of events at São Januário, former Liverpool and Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho has formally requested the termination of his contract with boyhood club Vasco da Gama.
The 33-year-old’s decision comes on the heels of a tumultuous week in which he was audibly booed by his own supporters during a Campeonato Carioca fixture.
According to widespread reports in the Brazilian media, Coutinho communicated his desire to leave directly to club president Pedrinho, a move that has reportedly caught the club’s hierarchy off guard.
The attacking midfielder, who returned to Rio de Janeiro permanently in 2025 after agreeing a contract termination with Aston Villa, was said to be deeply upset by the verbal abuse he received from the crowd.
The flashpoint occurred during the quarter-final clash against Volta Redonda at the weekend. With Vasco trailing, Coutinho was substituted at half-time amidst jeers from the terraces.
In a sign of his distress, the former Brazil international did not return to the bench for the second half, instead watching Vasco’s eventual penalty shootout victory from elsewhere in the stadium.
Head coach Fernando Diniz, who had publicly lauded his midfielder as “exceptional” just days earlier, attempted to persuade the player to reverse his decision. However, sources indicate that Coutinho described his state of mind regarding the move as “irreversible”.
Diniz had previously spoken about the need to protect players from the hostile environment in Brazilian football. “Coutinho has money, he has been to big clubs, but he wanted to stop playing and now he doesn’t want to anymore. Everyone needs help,” Diniz reflected at a coaching congress last year, highlighting the psychological toll on athletes.
“This environment is extremely violent and castrating. We are exposed… You are exposed all the time, criticized, ridiculed”.
While the club has yet to release an official statement, the expectation is that an amicable resolution to his contract, which was set to run until June, will be finalized imminently.
The development marks another somber chapter in a career that has never quite recovered since his high-profile £142 million move from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2018.
The decision serves as a poignant echo of the warning issued by his former manager at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp. Prior to Coutinho’s departure to Spain, Klopp advised him, “Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour. Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more”.
Following failed stints at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, the creative midfielder had hoped to rediscover his joy at the club where it all began. Despite making 56 appearances for Vasco last season, his highest tally in a single campaign, and contributing 11 goals, the fairy tale return has soured.
Now, with his departure all but confirmed, Coutinho is once again looking for a new home, with potential interest reported from Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy.