Coutinho Joins Santos For Rest Of Season, Reunites With Neymar

Philippe Coutinho has joined Santos FC for the remainder of the season, linking up with his close friend and Brazil team-mate Neymar.

The 34-year-old former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder had been without a club since leaving Vasco da Gama in February.

Coutinho returned to his childhood club Vasco in 2024 but left after 81 appearances, saying he was “tired mentally.”

Santos announced the move on social media by posting an old photo of Coutinho and Neymar as teenagers alongside a new image of the pair re-enacting the pose in the gym.

The club also shared a video of Coutinho walking into the dressing room, where he receives a hug from Neymar and says, “If it’s a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

Neymar returned to Santos, his childhood team, in January last year. This will be the first time the friends have played together at club level.

Coutinho began his career at Vasco before joining Inter Milan and later moving to Liverpool in 2013. He scored 54 goals in 201 appearances for Liverpool before joining Barcelona for £142m in 2018.

He later had spells at Bayern Munich, Aston Villa and Al-Duhail before returning to Vasco.