OFFICIAL: Coutinho given No. 14 shirt for Barca

 

Barcelona have announced on Wednesday through their official website that Philippe Coutinho will wear the No. 14 shirt, used by legends such as Johan Cruyff and Thierry Henry, following the departure of Javier Mascherano to China.

The Catalan club waited to officially announce the shirt number of the Brazilian until the departure of Mascherano to China was confirmed, which it was on Tuesday. This allowed Barcelona to reveal that Coutinho will wear the No. 14 shirt for Ernesto Valverde's side.
Their January signing knew that he couldn't wear the No. 10 jersey, which he had worn at Liverpool, because it is held by club legend Lionel Messi, who wouldn't be giving it up anytime soon. Before his spell at Merseyside, the 25-year-old had worn numbers '7', '23', '29' and '30'.
However, the No. 14 shirt is traditionally reserved for 'Los Cules' royalty. Cruyff turned it into gold during his spell at the club in the 1970s and was later worn by great players such as Emmanuel Amunike, Gerard Lopez, Santiago Ezquerro, Thierry Henry and Mascherano himself.
It is a sign that the La Liga leaders expect great things from the Brazilian attacker, who could play his first minutes in Barcelona's Copa del Rey tie against Espanyol on Thursday, if he has sufficiently recovered from a muscle injury in time.