Coutinho says he is “mentally exhausted” as he confirms Vasco departure
Philippe Coutinho has confirmed he is stepping away from Vasco da Gama after publishing a deeply personal statement on Instagram.
The 33-year-old Brazilian explained that he reached a point where he needed to prioritise his mental health.
Coutinho wrote: “I thought long and hard before writing this… out of respect, affection, and love that I have for you and for this club, I felt I needed to come here and speak from the heart.”
The former Liverpool midfielder added: “At that moment, on my way to the locker room, I felt and realized that my time at the club was over, and I didn’t return to prioritize my mental health.”
Coutinho also said: “The truth is, I’m very mentally exhausted.”
This is a reminder that the player who once lit up Anfield with his right-footed curlers, has been navigating a very different chapter back in Brazil.
Coutinho’s statement explains why he is leaving Vasco
Coutinho’s message repeatedly returned to the idea of respect, both for the club and for the supporters who questioned what had happened.
Our former No.10 insisted: “Being judged by countless people for something that isn’t part of my character and is extremely difficult.”
He stressed that his relationship with Vasco remains strong, saying: “My relationship with Vasco is one of love. And it will continue to be forever.”
It all points to a personal decision rather than a football-only one, and it’s not difficult to see why he described the situation as painful.
Coutinho’s Vasco numbers show he was a key contributor last year
On the pitch, Sofascore data paints a clear picture of a player who carried responsibility in 2025 and then had a much smaller sample in 2026.
| Season (Vasco) | Apps | Goals | Assists | Minutes | Key passes per game | xG | xA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 2,425 | 1.9 | 4.14 | 4.70 |
| 2026 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 259 | 3.7 | 1.31 | 0.63 |
Those 2025 figures suggest Coutinho was regularly involved and productive, even if the output was not at the outrageous level we saw in his best Liverpool seasons.
It is also worth remembering what the little magician represented for us statistically, because his Liverpool record remains substantial: 201 appearances, 54 goals and 43 assists in all competitions, with 152 league games producing 41 goals and 35 assists.
We saw the outpouring of love from Liverpool when this move to Vasco was confirmed and it’s sad to see this come to such an exhausting end.
We will all still associate Philippe Coutinho with a very specific type of footballer: a technical playmaker who could decide matches with one moment, with Vladimir Smicer stating Florian Wirtz reminds him of our former player.
At the end of the day though, the wellbeing of a former player is the only detail that really matters in this update.
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