Berlin (AFP)
Munich has no Eiffel Tower to illuminate to welcome Coutinho, as had the PSG for Neymar. But the Brazilian is none the less the new star of the Bundesliga, in search of great foreign stars.
"Congratulations to Bayern for this sensational transfer," the former Munich and Liverpool star Dieter Hamann told Kicker magazine on Tuesday, "Philippe Coutinho is a victory for the Bundesliga".
A provisional victory, since the 27-year-old Brazilian forward is loaned by Barcelona to Bayern for a season, with a call option of 120 million euros. Still a little physically fair, he will not be on Saturday in Schalke, for the second day of the championship.
Even Bayern's rivals joined the general enthusiasm: "He's a great player, and a real enrichment (for the Bundesliga), I'm really a fan of him," enthused Julian Brandt, the international from Dortmund.
"It's huge for the Bundesliga, he's an amazing player, he's crazy, he'll be Germany's best player, by far," Marko Grujic, a Hertha Berlin striker who played Coutinho Liverpool.
- "A very humble young man -
Bayern Sports Director Hasan Salihamidzic congratulates himself: "We offer our fans something spectacular!" Too happy to take back to his bosses the scalp of the winner of the Copa America, just days after being accused of incompetence on social networks for not having sufficiently strengthened the team in the offseason.
For managers, anxious to develop the "brand" Bayern (and associated revenues!), Especially in Asia, Coutinho could indeed help offset the loss of image caused by the departure of legends Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
"Monday (the day of its signing) was the record day for FC Bayern on social networks since the creation of the accounts," rejoices the website of the "Rekordmeister", "more than 100 million fans have been reached (.. .) through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Co. It never happened. "
"The interest for our new magician attack is huge," says the club, which ensures (without giving figures) that the flocked jerseys of the new number 10 are already snapped in the fanshops.
- "... Crazy stuff" -
In the field, Coutinho does not have the radiation of a Neymar. But it does not have the character of diva, which seems to suit the family values of the Bavarian club: "Coutinho is the kind of guy who claims a special status," immediately reassured coach Niko Kovac, "He is a world class footballer and a very humble young man".
Last season, the player revealed to Vasco da Gama did not spark a thousand fires alongside stars of the first magnitude Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
For Dieter Hamann, the excuse is found: "In Catalonia, Lionel Messi was his big problem, the fivefold Ballon d'Or takes exactly the spaces that Coutinho should normally occupy, in which case it's hard to shine alongside. of Messi ".
"Bayern must adapt its game to Coutinho, not the other way around," suggests the winner of the 2005 Champions League: "If he keeps his freedom in the axis, just behind Lewandowski, he will change the Bayern's game, as he had done in Liverpool. "
The German trade press is now speculating on the new tactical organization that Kovac will have to imagine. And worries about Thomas Müller, the national icon who may be relegated to the bench by the "magician" carioca.
© 2019 AFP