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Philippe Coutinho scored a brilliant free-kick for Vasco de Gama over the weekend with the former Liverpool attacking midfielder enjoying something of a renaissance back in Brazil.
Since leaving Anfield to move to Barcelona, Coutinho's career has been on a sharp and steep decline. But now in his homeland again after a failed stint at Aston Villa, the 33-year-old hasn't lost his ability to strike a ball from distance.
Hitting a free-kick from an angle on the edge of the penalty area, Coutinho curled a strike into the top corner to put his side ahead early in a game against Ceara. He scored plenty of similar goals for Liverpool, though Vasco de Gama went on to draw this match 2-2.
Earlier this year, Coutinho insisted that he didn't regret the decision to force an exit from Liverpool. Switching to the Camp Nou was his dream and he would do the same again.
"We had loads of conversations. At that time, I really wanted to move to Barcelona," Coutinho recalled. "We had many discussions about staying, about leaving.
"But, eventually, the club (Liverpool) agreed to let me go and I joined Barcelona. The beginning was really good. My first six months at Barcelona were great. We won a title and I was playing really well.
"But the following season, after the World Cup, I was not in the same shape. My performances dipped and that was tough for me. I wanted to meet expectations, my own expectations as well but I just wasn't able to.
"That period was really challenging for me but I leaned on my family and in my faith, I've always believed in God. That helped me stay strong through it all."
Coutinho was on loan at Bayern Munich for a period and Steven Gerrard then signed him for Aston Villa, but the player couldn't get his career back on track there either.
"I needed to change teams, right? I wasn't in Barcelona's plans anymore," he said. "I needed to play and go to a club that wanted me.
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"Well, it was mainly because of (Steven) Gerrard (that I joined Aston Villa). He was the coach. I remember he called me on the phone and we talked and saw that there was this possibility to go there on loan. It was great to go there but things also didn't happen as we expected.
"I had this dream to play for Barcelona. Then the opportunity presented itself and I couldn't say 'No' to my dream. So, I have no regrets about everything I experienced, all the places I've been. I gave my all, was very professional and tried to do my best."
Liverpool.com says: Coutinho was an exceptional player at his peak. In Florian Wirtz, Liverpool has a similarly technically gifted number 10, even if he hasn't shown his full potential yet at Anfield.
In time, Wirtz will be a success at Liverpool, but he is still finding his feet for now. Incredibly, Coutinho was even more expensive than the German when he moved to Barcelona in 2018.
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