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Philippe Coutinho has sent a defiant and emotional message after being named in a Barcelona matchday squad for the first time in 2021 following a successful recovery from knee surgery.
The Brazilian has been called up by coach Ronald Koeman for Sunday’s La Liga match against Getafe at the Camp Nou and could make his first appearance for the Catalan giants since December 2020.
It’s been a tough year for Coutinho, largely due to injury, and he has offered an insight into just what he’s been through in a lengthy video on Instagram. The Brazilian has also included a caption where he declares himself “ready” for battle and thanks his family and friends for their support.
“I am ready for the battle. Those were difficult days with many uncertain moments, but I always keep a positive thought and I know that this was all part of my development as a professional and as a human being. Today I am ready and excited to do what I love most in life,” he said. “First of all, I would like to thank GOD for always being with me at all times, for always keeping me focused on my dreams and making me believe that at the end of the tunnel there is always a light. I also want to thank my wife and my children for all the support during these difficult months, my parents, siblings, and my friends who have been through this with me. I am grateful to Dr. Rodrigo Lasmar for making the surgery successful and giving me all the support, CBF for also helping me in this process, to Barcelona including the club’s doctors and physiotherapists, to the physiotherapists Renato and Rafael for helping me in my development, to my fitness coach Leonel for keeping me in shape all these days, to Lincoln for helping me through it emotionally and I couldn’t forget to thank the support of every fan that has been by my side at every moment.”
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Coutinho’s Emotional Video
Coutinho’s post also include a lengthy video which starts off with some of his Barcelona highlights and then moves to the moment he suffered his knee injury in a 1-1 draw against Eibar in December 2020.
Coutinho initially went under the knife in January and is shown working his way back from injury. He admits on camera, “I’ve certainly been through a lot of ups and downs in this processs, a long, time-consuming process.”
The Brazilian also thanks his family and friends for their support during his lengthy spell on the sidelines. He adds, “I am grateful to God. Of course my wife, my daughters and my son, who have been by my side since the beginning. They know how painful it was, also my brother, my parents, the people closest to me who know me and are there with me, they know about the whole process, about this period of difficulty of uncertainty. This in in the past, it’s over now and we have to just have to focus on the future, hoping for good feelings.”
Yet Coutinho’s recovery did not quite go according to plan and he is shown heading to Brazil for his third “and last” surgery. There is some insight offered into how hard he has had to work on his recovery until he’s finally showing back in training at Barcelona with the message, “So for sure now I see myself playing, creating plays, scoring goals, doing what has always been my passion, playing football.”
It’s been a long road back for Coutinho, with plenty of speculation along the way he could be sold, but he remains at Barca and could make his first appearance of the season on Sunday. Coutinho is in the 23-man squad to face Getafe and will be hoping for minutes, particuarly with Pedri set to miss the game after being rested.
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