The Dutch coach handed his favourite shirt number to a Barca player making his debut off the bench.

Philippe Coutinho reclaims the No.14 squad number, the same he used to wear in his debut season at Barcelona.

This jersey is extremely important at the Catalan club, previously worn by such greats as Thierry Henry and Javier Mascherano.

Here is an interesting story behind the history of the No.14 shirt at Barca, revealed by our club and briefly explained by Tribuna.com:

Johan Cruyff always liked the number 14 but wasn’t allowed to wear this jersey during his playing days at Barcelona due to the regulations in the Spanish league.
He created a unique tradition after taking charge at the Catalan club in 1988.
The No.14 shirt was handed to a player making his debut off the bench.
A certain Ernesto Valverde was one of those debutants donning the iconic kit.
Current Celta boss Oscar Garcia was given the same honour in 1993.
Eventually, the rules changed and Cruyff’s son Jordi became the first player to wear the No.14 shirt on a permanent basis in the 1994-1995 season.

Source: TRIBUNA