Philippe Coutinho has taken over the recently vacated Barcelona squad number of a fellow former Liverpool player.
On Wednesday morning, Javier Mascherano confirmed his move to Chinese club Hebei China Fortune and it hasn’t taken long for Barcelona to hand over the No. 14 which Mascherano had sported since 2011.
Just hours after the defender issued an emotional farewell to the Catalan club’s supporters, the No. 14 jersey was given to Coutinho.
It had been suggested that the Brazilian midfielder would wear the No. 7 shirt at the Camp Nou, considering the fact that its previous owner, Arda Turan, left Barca on loan just last week but it’s been decided that Coutinho is better suited to the No. 14 shirt.
Suits you, @Phil_Coutinho!
🔵🔴 #Coutinho14 pic.twitter.com/sVG1h7kuKJ— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 24, 2018
The 25-year-old is now the seventh player in Barcelona history to wear that number, following in the footsteps of players such as Thierry Henry and Jordi Cruyff.
It’s the first time that Coutinho has sported the No. 14; having worn 7, 10, 23, 29 and 30 at various stages of his career.
Coutinho’s Barcelona debut has been delayed to a thigh injury but he could potentially feature for his new club against Espanyol in the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final this week.
Barcelona trail 1-0 from the first leg, when the underdogs forced a surprise and condemned Barcelona to their first defeat in 29 games.
Vengeance will be on their minds when Ernesto Valverde’s side host Espanyol on Thursday night.
