Andrés Iniesta named new Vissel Kobe captain
After three J1 League defeats in a row, Vissel Kobe have decided to make Andrés Iniesta their new captain.
Andrés Iniesta has been named Vissel Kobe's new captain as the J1 League club look to get back on track following a poor start to the season. The former Barcelona midfielder replaces ex-Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski in the role, with the German having stepped down last week amid reports of turmoil behind the scenes.
Mid-table
Kobe are 11th in the table after eight fixtures and have lost their past three games in a row, winning just one of their previous five. They were beaten by the minimum in the weekend meeting with Urawa Reds - that result coming on the back of league defeats to Sanfrecce and Matsumoto Yamaga.
Iniesta, 34, joined the club last year having previously spent his entire career with Barcelona. He was captain of the Blaugrana in his final three seasons with the club and wore the armband a total of 151 times - including in the 2015 Champions League final when Barça beat Juventus 3-1 in Berlin to complete the treble. Iniesta is expected to skipper Vissel Kobe for the first time tomorrow in the Cup meeting with Cerezo Osaka.