Philippe Coutinho makes Barcelona debut (Video)

Philippe Coutinho makes his much-anticipated Barcelona debut in Copa del Rey quarterfinal.

Barcelona’s record signing Philippe Coutinho made his debut on Thursday in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Espanyol. Coutinho made his debut in front of his new home crowd at Camp Nou after being named on the bench to begin the day. He replaced Barcelona legend Andrés Iniesta in the 68th minute of a 2-0 win.

After months of being linked to the Spanish side, Coutinho completed a move to Camp Nou earlier this month. Even though it wasn’t easy to secure the transfer, Barcelona made it happen. Coutinho is the world’s second most-expensive transfer in history. In addition, the £142 million Barcelona gave up for Coutinho is the most in the club’s history.

Fans didn’t have to wait long to see the Brazilian either. Coutinho’s debut comes a less than three weeks after signing with Barcelona. His debut is sure to be the first of many of the 25-year-old’s appearances for the club. When completing his transfer from Liverpool, he signed a five-and-a-half year contract. After scoring 54 goals at Anfield, the Brazilian will surely bolster the Barcelona attack.

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Coutinho played upwards of 20 minutes in his official debut. Barcelona went on to defeat Espanyol in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal 2-0. Luis Suarez opened up the scoring in the ninth minute to bring Barca level on aggregate. Minutes later, Lionel Messi (who else?) gave Barcelona the advantage in the fixture with his goal in the 25 minute. Barcelona secured a spot in the Copa del Rey semifinals after going on to defeat Espanyol 2-1 on aggregate. Although there were no goals from Coutinho in the match, this is only the beginning. His future at Camp Nou is sure to be a bright one.