Philippe Coutinho joins Neymar at Santos in first club-level reunion

Brazilian stars Neymar and Philippe Coutinho have reunited at club level for the first time after Santos completed the signing of the former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder.

Coutinho, 34, joined the Brazilian club on a free transfer after leaving Vasco da Gama.

The move means the longtime friends and former Brazil teammates will now play alongside each other domestically for the first time.

Although both players previously represented Barcelona, they never played together at the Spanish club.

Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017 before Coutinho moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in January 2018.

Santos celebrated Coutinho’s arrival with footage showing Neymar welcoming and embracing his former Brazil teammate.

The club also shared photographs of the pair from their younger years alongside a recreation of one of the images following Coutinho’s arrival.

Coutinho began his professional career at Vasco da Gama before moving to Europe with Inter Milan.

He later established himself as a Premier League star at Liverpool before completing a high-profile move to Barcelona in 2018.

His career has also included spells with Bayern Munich, Aston Villa and Al-Duhail.

Neymar returned to Santos, his boyhood club, before Coutinho’s arrival.

Coutinho will represent Santos for the remainder of the season as the Brazilian club competes domestically and in the Copa Sudamericana.