#8 There were many tears to begin with
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It took a lot of effort to persuade Coutinho to attend trials with Vasco da Gama. When he turned up to the trial day, he claims to have been constantly crying, too shy to get involved. "I was new to the group, everyone knew each other so I was feeling a little uncomfortable and embarrassed,” he stated. Coutinho apparently went as far as clinging to his dad up in the stands whilst the other kids warmed up.
Nerves quickly translated to excitement though and Coutinho’s love of the game rapidly flourished. “After a short while and some motivation, I was fine. When I actually started to play, it was all normal and natural. I wasn't shy anymore, I was enjoying it.”
Nonetheless it shows once again that the little Brazilian is far from your average football ego and suffered from a shortage of confidence as a youngster. He’ll only need to reflect on his rampant Reds career to realise that he’s got a lot to feel good about.
