Suarez, Messi show support for Coutinho after Barcelona boos

Philippe Coutinho TEAMtalk

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi both showed their support for Philippe Coutinho after the Barcelona playmaker was booed by his own fans against Liverpool.

The former Reds midfielder started the first leg of the Champions league semi-final at the Nou Camp, but struggled to have an impact on the match against his old side.

The £142million signing was eventually replaced by Nelson Semedo and was greeted by a chorus of jeers from the Barcelona fans as he trudged off the pitch.

After the match, which Barcelona won comfortably 3-0, Suarez posed for a picture with his team-mate for Instagram.

Alongside the image the striker wrote: “We are strong together”.

Suarez was not the only Barca star to back his teammate, however, with two-goal hero Messi also having his say on the reaction of the club’s fans to a player who has struggled to make a significant impact since signing in January 2018.

Messi told Movistar Plus: “We are in a defining moment and it is not time to criticize anyone.

“It is time to make everything happen as we talked at the beginning of the season.

“It is ugly to see a team-mate get booed like that, we must all be together and support.”