The best No. 7s in club football right now

#4 Phillip Coutinho (Barcelona)

Real Valladolid CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga — Coutinho could be the natural replacement for Iniesta

Coutinho joined Barcelona in January of this year and was handed the No. 14 jersey. When Arda Turan left the club, the No. 7 remained vacant and this season, Coutinho has taken up the iconic jersey.

The Brazilian has joined a famous group of Barcelona No. 7s, as the number was famously worn by Luis Figo, David Villa and Pedro before, yet Coutinho is a player very different from all of them. The Brazilian has been an instant hit since joining Nou Camp from Liverpool, scoring 10 goals from the 22 games he played in the second half of the season.

This season, rejuvenated with the honour of wearing the No.7 jersey, Coutinho has continued from where he left off last season, already scoring a goal from the 2 games he has played so far. Barcelona fans are delighted with his partnership with Messi and those two have combined very well so far.

With Iniesta’s exit this season, Coutinho will be expected to take up a chunk of the creative responsibility and the Brazilian certainly has the guile and technical expertise to prosper. His vision and passing abilities are unprecedented and he also has the knack of scoring the spectacular. Barcelona, after all these years, seems to have a magical No. 7 again.

#7 Fact: Coutinho has worn the No. 7 once before, at Internazionale in the 12/13 season.

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Edited by Debjyoti Samanta