Brazil icon Rivaldo believes Philippe Coutinho’s Barcelona departure was inevitable after he failed to make his mark at a club where Lionel Messi takes all the plaudits.
The 27-year-old joined Bayern Munich on Monday in a season-long loan deal worth £19million, with the Bundesliga champions negotiating an option to buy the midfielder next summer.
Coutinho scored 21 goals in 75 Barca appearances after completing a £142m move from Liverpool in January 2018, winning La Liga twice and the Copa Del Rey.
However, he never lived up to his hefty price tag and Barcelona legend and fellow countryman Rivaldo insists Messi’s brilliance played a part in Coutinho’s downfall.
“I always believed that Philippe Coutinho had the ability to be a success at Barcelona, but things were taking too much time and both parties agreed on a transfer to Bayern Munich,” Rivaldo told Betfair .
“I’m a little disappointed about his failure in gaining a regular place in the first team, but perhaps he was no longer confident about it and unhappy, so he opted for a move to another big club trying to finally recover his best football from his time at Liverpool.”
“It’s never easy to find your space in a team where Lionel Messi constantly takes all the credit and responsibility. There are few players in the world capable of reaching such situation and imposing themselves, and maybe Coutinho didn’t have enough patience to find his spot in the team.”
“The Argentinian star is the team leader and will keep playing at his best level for about three or four more years, so it is difficult to see other players shining at their best at Barcelona.”
