'I would not..' - Ex-Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho opens up on whether he regrets £142m Barcelona move

Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has opened up on the decision to leave the club in 2018.

The Brazilian was a fan favourite at Anfield before Barcelona came in to secure what is still the third-highest transfer of all time behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. It helped the Reds fund moves for Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk - two players who formed the backbone of their successes from 2018 to Sunday as they scored another trophy success against Chelsea.

Coutinho's time at Barcelona was underwhelming. Signed to replicate the Andres Iniesta role, he was unfairly miscast and went onto net 25 goals in 106 games before then departing on loan to Bayern Munich, just to score twice against them in an 8-2 Champions League semi-final thrashing. After that, Aston Villa where he netted six goals in 43 games - with one of those being the second goal at the Etihad which saw Liverpool go top of the Premier League on the final day for a time before Ilkay Gundogan's 81st minute winner saw Man City complete an improbable comeback on the final day to thwart Liverpool once again. There have been moments in amidst his struggles.

The Al-Duhail SC attacker was asked by Catalan daily, Sport, whether he had any regrets about moving to Barca and missing out on Liverpool’s run of trophies. “No. At no time," he said.

“Things did not turn out as I imagined, as people expected, as I expected because I am the first to demand of myself on the field, I tell myself that I have to give more on the field. I tried everything, I have always been very professional and I don’t regret anything.  It was always my dream to play for Barça and I went there, I enjoyed it, I was able to meet many people, win titles and it will always be in the story of my life.” Asked if he would change anything about his Barca experience, he added,

“Nothing. I would not change anything. Going back is impossible, but as I said I don’t regret anything, I always gave my best in training as I do here and as I did last year and as I will do next year. If things fit well, great and if not, patience.”

On whether he ought to have had a 'better' career, the Brazilian playmaker replied: “No. I am satisfied with my career. Many people think whether it is good or bad, but I am satisfied with myself, I know what I represent, what I can do, I know who I am and this is the most important thing for me.”