Philippe Coutinho joins Santos, reunites with former Brazil teammate Neymar

Former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho has joined Brazilian side Santos on a contract until the end of the season.

Coutinho, 34, reunites with Neymar, his former Brazil teammate and childhood friend. The pair came through the national youth ranks together, and were a part of the same team at the 2018 World Cup.

Coutinho had been without a club since leaving boyhood club Vasco da Gama. He announced his departure from the Brazilian club on social media in February, saying he was “mentally exhausted” and would take a “step back”.

The 68-time Brazil international permanently left Aston Villa last summer. His last appearance for the club came in 2023, before he had loan spells with Qatari side Al Duhail and then Vasco.

His Villa contract was set to expire in 2026, but the two clubs agreed a deal to see him return to Vasco on a permanent basis 12 months early.

Coutinho came through the Vasco academy before joining Inter in 2008.

“SE FOR UM SONHO, NÃO QUERO ACORDAR!” 😂💭

Veja como foi a recepção para Philippe Coutinho em sua chegada ao CT Rei Pelé! pic.twitter.com/Xtdzk9fpEK

— Santos FC (@SantosFC) September 14, 2026

Having struggled for minutes in Italy, Coutinho joined Liverpool in 2013 and became an integral part of both Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp’s teams, making 201 appearances for the Merseyside club, recording 54 goals and 44 assists.

Coutinho moved to Barcelona in January 2018 — one year after Neymar left for Paris Saint-Germain — in a deal worth £142m ($192m) and won the La Liga title in his first season at the club, helping them retain it the following year.

He was then loaned to Bayern Munich and helped the German club to win the Champions League in 2020, scoring twice off the bench against his parent club Barcelona in an 8-2 quarter-final victory, before his side beat Paris Saint-Germain in the final.

Coutinho returned to Barcelona at the end of the season but suffered a meniscus injury in December that saw him miss the remainder of the 2020-21. He joined Villa initially on loan in January 2022, and the move was made permanent that summer, and he only made 43 appearances for the club.