Manchester United and Barcelona meet again on Thursday for a mouth-watering second leg-tie in European competition.
The last time that happened was in the Champions League nearly four years ago, when Philippe Coutinho resumed his role as United's tormentor after years of being a thorn in their side while he starred for Liverpool. With the scoreline 2-0 to Barca after a first-half double from Lionel Messi, giving the hosts a 3-0 lead on aggregate at the Camp Nou, Coutinho dealt the Red Devils a hammer blow on the hour mark by scoring a sensational goal that vanquished Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side for good.
Although the Brazilian midfielder's trademark right-footed strike from long-range was superb and worthy of acclaim, what also caught spectators' eyes was his rather muted celebration. Turning to face the thousands of jubilant home fans inside the Camp Nou, Coutinho stood still and put his fingers in his ears to block out the noise.
Theories quickly emerged that the then 26-year-old was making a point to the same supporters who'd jeered him for the first 15 months of his Barcelona career. Having joined the La Liga giants in a club-record £142million transfer deal the previous January, Coutinho had - at that point - failed to live up to lofty expectations.
Unable to nail down a regular role in Ernesto Valverde's team, the Brazil international rarely replicated the kind of magic which he was known for at Liverpool. Fans were understandably frustrated, but Coutinho's rare bit of Barca brilliance when United came to town was something to silence his critics.
Unfortunately for the now Aston Villa star, he failed to maintain that level for the remainder of the 2018-19 season and was promptly shipped out to Bayern Munich on loan for the following campaign. Coutinho returned to Barcelona in late 2020 after a decent spell in Germany but couldn't emulate that improved form back in Catalunya.
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Fast forward to January 2022 and he reunited with ex-Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard at Villa Park, who at the time was the club's manager. Gerrard received the sack 10 months later and Coutinho remains a Villa player struggling to rediscover his world-class ability.
Some still claim that he should've never swapped Merseyside for Barcelona, but Coutinho doesn't agree. "At times we have to make decisions," he told ESPN. "One of my big dreams was to play for Barcelona, but always with great affection, respect and gratitude for Liverpool and for the friendships over the years at the club. But at that moment I had a decision to make and I don't regret it."
