Copa America 2019: Top 4 contenders to win the Golden Ball

This has not been Messi's tournament so far
This has not been Messi's tournament so far

#3 Philippe Coutinho (Brazil)

Coutinho's form with Brazil goes in contrast with his Barcelona struggles
Coutinho's form with Brazil goes in contrast with his Barcelona struggles

The 2018/2019 season is one which Philippe Coutinho would not look back on too fondly. He struggled to maintain any form of consistency at Barcelona, was horribly off-form for most of the campaign and was the target of boos on multiple occasions by the Camp Nou crowd.

There are strong indications that his time at the club might be up and he could be on his way to a new club barely 18 months after completing his high-profile move to Spain.

However, his patchy club form has not distracted him from the job at hand, as the 26-year-old has gone about his business in Brazil with minimum fuss, performing at an optimum to take his nation this far.

When Neymar was ruled out of the tournament due to injury, the mantle fell upon Coutinho to provide on-field leadership and the former Liverpool man has not disappointed, playing a starring role as Brazil seek to win a first Copa America title since 2007.

So far, Coutinho has scored two goals and registered one assist while he also converted from the penalty spot in Brazil's crunch quarterfinal victory over Paraguay.

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