Andrés Iniesta, a former footballer for FC Barcelona and the Spanish team, signed his contract this Wednesday with his new team, Emirates FC, where at 39 he could end his career as a footballer after leaving Japan last July.
“It's a new stage in my career, very important after the long time I spent at Barcelona and then in Japan,” Iniesta declared during the official presentation with his new club.
“I am here to write a new page and I will do everything I can to get the best results with my team,” he promised.. “I've always given my all with Barcelona and with Vissel Kobe, and I'll do the same here,” said the player who will wear the number 8 shirt.
The Spanish player announced his departure from Vissel Kobe in May, and despite the fact that his contract there ended at the end of the year, the man from La Mancha wanted a new destination since he spent a lot of time on the bench last season.
an enviable track record
It should be remembered that Iniesta joined Vissel Kobe in 2018 after spending 16 years at Barcelona, the club where he became known and with which he won everything, including the Champions League four times and the Spanish League nine times.
The player from La Mancha was also part of the most glorious stage of the Spanish team, in which he chained titles with the 2008 Euro Cup, the 2010 World Cup, in which he scored the winning goal, and the 2012 Euro Cup.
With Vissel Kobe, Iniesta won the Emperor's Cup in 2019 and the Japan Super Cup in 2020. He led the team to the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League that year.. However, the continuation was less glorious and the club had a difficult final season, battling relegation and frequent manager changes.
The former Barça player played his last game with Vissel Kobe on July 1, playing 57 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Consadole Sapporo, in a J-League game.
Since then his future aroused interest and there was speculation that he might end up at Inter Miami to play again alongside Lionel Messi, but nevertheless he decided to accept the Emirati offer.