J-LEAGUE
Iniesta to bid goodbye to Vissel Kobe with MLS or Middle East potential destinations
According to the Japanese press, the Spaniard will call bring an end to his tenure with the J-League club ahead of his contract expiring.
Andrés Iniesta has decided leave Vissel Kobe this summer. After five years in the J1 League, the man from Albacete, according the Japanese outlet Nikkan Sports will end his Japanese adventure this July.
The midfielder’s contract expires on January 31, 2024 but the player has decided that the time has come to bring a close to time in Kobe. The club have lined up a friendly game between Vissel and FC Barcelona on 6June at the National Stadium in Tokyo, which would serve as a farewell tribute to the midfield maestro.
Iniesta is set to turn 39 next week, but recently has seen his role in the team diminish. This season he has missed eleven games, playing only 59′ spread over four games with the “physical game” employed by Vissel Kobe not being compatible with the player’s skill set according to Nikkan Sports.
Potential offers
As things stand, Iniesta is not contemplating on hanging up his boots just yet and there is speculation that there would be interest in his services in the Middle East and MLS.
In May 2018, after leaving Barcelona, Iniesta decided to take a step to the other side of the world with Vissel Kobe seeming like a risky bet for the world champion. Five years later, and with an Emperor’s Cup and the Japanese Super Cup winners medals to add to his vast haul in his time at Camp Nou, it’s time for Iniesta to write the final chapter in what has been a glittering career.