In January, Barcelona finally got their hands on Coutinho, but it came at a cost: €120 million to be exact. The Catalan heavyweights moved heaven and earth to bring the Brazilian to the Camp Nou in their pursuit of a coveted 'treble.'
Thanks to FIFA solidarity rules, Vasco da Gama, the club whose youth system enabled Coutinho to blossom, are entitled to a 2.5% wedge of the total transfer sum.
The Barca midfielder's boyhood club are set to earn somewhere between three and four million Brazilian reals - the equivalent of around €1 million. Vasco da Gama, whose season begins next month, are now waiting patiently for FIFA to give the green light so they can receive the funds kindly put aside for them by Liverpool.
To a European football fan, €1 million sounds like a measly sum, but keep in mind that the green beast is yet to monopolise the 'joga bonito' of Brazil. With the club currently going through a precarious patch of economic instability, the money they'll receive will provide a lifeline to help them get back on their feet, balance the books, and pay players' wages.
Coutinho played at Vasco da Gama for almost a decade until Inter came knocking. Now, the Brazilian club are reaping the rewards from the harvest of one of their most promising talent.