The Liverpool man was once considered ahead of Neymar when his country looked to its next generation.

“Coutinho started at Vasco da Gama in 2000, when he was just eight years old,” says Goncalves, still a close friend of the Liverpool forward.

“He always played futsal when he was young, and the scouts of Vasco da Gama brought the information about this young player who was giving great performances during the school tournaments. That was when he was signed and I had the pleasure to coach him in under-17 team.

“Normally players need to time to adapt and understand the new targets, but once he joined us it was immediate. The first game I remember we were leading 2-0 coming towards the end and I decided to send him on. It was a hard game, but some supporters who’d seen him for the younger sides were already singing his name ‘Coutinho, Coutinho’.