“Andres Iniesta to Leave Japanese Club: Plans to Continue Playing”

Iniesta decided to leave the Japanese club

The former captain of Barcelona and the Spanish national team at the same time noted that he does not plan to end his career yet

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Midfielder of the Japanese “Vissel Kobe” Andres Iniesta will leave the team at the end of this season, informs club press office.

“Five years after the transfer, we would like to sincerely thank Andres Iniesta for the huge contribution to the development of the club!” – the message says.

Iniesta said he has no plans to end his career. “We assumed that I would end my career here, but I really want to continue playing. Sometimes you have to say goodbye, but it’s very difficult. My relationship with Wessel Kobe will continue when I retire.” leads slovak Iniesta Relevo.

The last match of the Spaniard will be the game of the 19th round of the Japanese Championship, which will be held on July 1, between Vissel Kobe and Consadole Sapporo.

Iniesta has been with Vissel Kobe since 2018. This season, the midfielder has played five matches for the Japanese team in all competitions and has not scored. In total, the 39-year-old Spaniard played 133 matches for Vissel Kobe, in which he scored 26 goals and made 25 assists. With the team, he won two trophies – the Cup and the Super Cup of Japan.

39-year-old Iniesta is a graduate of Barcelona. With the team, he won nine Spanish titles, four Champions Leagues, six Spanish Cups, seven Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups and three Club World Cups. In the 2008/09 season, the midfielder was named player of the year in Spain. In 2012, he became the best player in Europe according to UEFA.

In total, the midfielder has won 37 titles in his career. In addition to two trophies with Vissel Kobe, he won 32 times with Barcelona and three times with the Spanish national team. He is in second place in terms of trophies, sharing the position with his former Barcelona teammate Maxwell. The leader with 40 trophies is the Brazilian Dani Alves, who previously also played for the Catalan club.