Corinthians v Vasco: Depay and Coutinho reunite, ex-Barcelona

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Central do Timão

·17 December 2025

Corinthians v Vasco: Depay and Coutinho reunite, ex-Barcelona

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

This Wednesday and again on Sunday, the final of the Copa do Brasil will bring together two prominent names in international football: the Dutchman Memphis Depay, forward for Corinthians, and Philippe Coutinho, the main offensive reference for Vasco. Now rivals in Brazilian football, the two once shared the same locker room when they played together for Barcelona, Spain.

Memphis and Coutinho played side by side in 15 matches during the 2021/22 season, which marked the Dutchman's debut and, at the same time, the Brazilian's farewell to the Catalan club. Depay joined Barça after his contract with Lyon, France, ended, as a bet by then-coach Ronald Koeman. Coutinho, on the other hand, was experiencing a period of wear at the club after an irregular start and an unremarkable loan to German football, a situation aggravated by the high investment of 130 million euros made by Barcelona with Liverpool.

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Photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images

In most of these 15 games, Memphis started as a starter, while Coutinho was mainly brought on in the second half. The duo's record shows five wins, three draws, and seven losses, with the current Corinthians player directly involved in six goals, scoring five and providing one assist, and two goals scored by the Vasco midfielder.

In the middle of the 2021/22 season, Coutinho left Barcelona on loan before being sold permanently to Aston Villa, England. Memphis remained in the squad until the end of the cycle, finishing his stint with 13 goals and two assists.

Throughout his European football career, Memphis played for PSV, Manchester United, Lyon, Barcelona, and Atlético de Madrid. Coutinho, in turn, had stints at Internazionale, Espanyol, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Aston Villa.

In knockout clashes on the European continent, Memphis and Coutinho faced each other four times, always without defeats for the Brazilian: in 2016, in the duel between Liverpool and Manchester United for the Europa League; in 2019, in the two matches between Lyon and Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16, with Coutinho scoring in the return match; and in 2020, in the Champions League semifinal between Lyon and Bayern Munich.

The only time Memphis defeated a team with Coutinho in the squad was already in Brazilian football. For Corinthians, the Dutchman was present in the 3-0 victory over Vasco in this year's Brazilian Championship, a match in which the midfielder was rested.

Touted as the greatest promise of Dutch football this century, Memphis saw his prestige diminish after a disappointing spell at Manchester United. Recovery came at Lyon, where he stayed for five seasons and became an idol, accumulating 130 goal involvements in 177 matches played.

However, his journey at the French club ended tumultuously. The forward chose not to renew his contract after disagreements with the management, including conflicts with Juninho Pernambucano. Subsequently, he signed a pre-contract with Barcelona for the 2021/22 season, mainly driven by the support of coach Ronald Koeman, who sought to rebuild the Spanish team.

In his first year at Barça, Memphis was an undisputed starter, scoring 13 goals and providing two assists in 38 games. In the following season, with Koeman's departure and Xavi's arrival, the club began to prioritize homegrown players, which led to the Dutchman's sale to Atlético de Madrid for 3 million euros. The Spanish team was his last stop in Europe before transferring to Corinthians.

Corinthians and Vasco begin the battle for the Copa do Brasil title this Wednesday at 9:30 PM at the Neo Química Arena. The decision will conclude on Sunday at 6 PM at Maracanã, when the teams face off again to determine the national champion.

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