Andrés Iniesta announced on Thursday his departure from Vissel Kobe in Japan, where he has played since 2018, and is now looking for a new destination to finish his sports career, after which he has the commitment to return to Japan and the desire to return one day to FC Barcelona, he said.
The legendary footballer, a key piece of a generation that conquered historic achievements with Barça and the Spanish national team, has thus put an end to what has been his most important sporting stage after that of the Catalan team, and which, he assured, will not be the last yet.
"I know that when time goes by I am closer to the end of my sports career, it is the law of life," said Iniesta on Thursday at 39 years old, who added however that "he wants to finish his career playing on a football field" and that he still feels "with capacity and illusion" for it.
Four symbols of Barcelona: Busquets is leaving, Messi wants to return, Xavi is the coach, and what will happen to Iniesta? Photo: EFE.
Iniesta and his dissatisfaction with the lack of prominence
Iniesta read an emotional farewell message to his Japanese fans in his appearance before the media, held at the Okura Hotel in Kobe (western Japan) and in the company of the owner of the Vissel, the tycoon Hiroshi Mikitani, and before his teammates and his family.
The footballer began his appearance by saying that coming to Japan "has been one of the best decisions of his life", and admitted that he has lived "very nice moments" with his club, but also "other very hard".
Among the positives, he highlighted the conquest of the 2019 Emperor's Cup title, and of the negatives he pointed out the injury he suffered last year and that made him miss several games.
Andrés Iniesta with his family, his wife and their five children, all present at the announcement of his farewell to Vissel Kobe of Japan. Photo: EFE/EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON.
His decision to change of scenery has come "by mutual agreement" with the club and after having been progressively losing prominence in a team in which he was undisputed in his early years, and before a bad run of injuries for him and results for the club arrived.
"You start to realize how the season ends and how this one starts. And especially how the last few months have passed," Iniesta said in response to questions from the media after reading his farewell message, and in which he gave more explanations about the reasons for his decision.
"It has been a very difficult situation, because in the end what makes me happy is to be playing football," said the midfielder, who stressed that he "continued training to play" and "working very hard" until he felt "very good" after his last injury.
"I want to end up on a pitch, or at least try. But the coach's idea is different, it is a reality because I have not participated practically anything, "he said.
In this season of the Japanese league, which started last February, Iniesta accumulates only 85 minutes in five appearances in League and Cup. His team is leading the J-League after 14 rounds played.
Andrés Iniesta, with many injuries and few minutes in Japan. Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP.
Future at Vissel... and at Barcelona?
The agreement to terminate the contract he had with Vissel until the end of the year includes the return of the manchego to the Kobe club once he hangs up the boots, as explained today by both parties.
"The next thing will be to be at Vissel in another area," Iniesta said when asked by EFE about a possible return to FC Barcelona after his retirement, to join the coaching staff of his former dressing room partner and friend Xavi Hernández.
"From there I like to think a lot about the present and the present is to keep playing, try to keep playing football for the years I have left, and then we'll see," he said.
"As I have said many times, I would love to return to Barcelona at some point in my life, but I still think it is far away," he added.
"Above all I hope that Xavi is many years of coach, that would be great news for football," concluded the author of the goal that earned the victory of Spain in the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández, partners on and off the pitch. Photo: EFE/Andreu Dalmau.
The footballer will play the last match with the Vissel shirt on July 1 at his stadium, in a match of the domestic competition, and before that, on June 6, he will be in a friendly precisely against Barça at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, in a match that is presented as a tribute to his career.
Iniesta joined Vissel Kobe in July 2018, and was part of the best eleven players in the Japanese league in 2019 and 2021.
Andrés Iniesta will have his farewell at Vissel Kobe and will play a friendly against Barcelona. Photo: EFE/EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON.
With the Kobe team he has played a total of 132 games and has scored 26 goals, spread over four competitions, and has lifted two titles, the Emperor's Cup (2019) and the Japanese Super Cup (2020), according to club data.
Although the footballer did not want to give clues about what will be his new destination and last stage of his professional career, the Japanese media said that he handles offers from the United States and the Middle East.
Source: EFE
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