Andres Iniesta announced today that he is leaving Vissel Kobe of the Japanese league “by mutual agreement”, and indicated that he will continue his professional career in another destination. “I think we had always imagined that I would retire here, it was everyone’s wish,” Iniesta said tearfully in a press conference offered in Kobe (western Japan) with Vissel owner Hiroshi Mikitani.
Iniesta pointed out that he still wants to “keep playing” and “keep competing”, and insisted the decision to leave was “by mutual agreement” with the club, after it was assumed the coach’s “priorities were different”. and less prominent. with his team this season.
The footballer began his appearance by saying that going to Japan “has been one of the best decisions of his life”, and admitted that he experienced “very good moments” with his club, but also “other very difficult ones ” like last season , where the team spent a large part of the year in the relegation places.
Among the positives, he emphasized the conquest of the 2019 Emperor’s Cup title, and among the negatives, he pointed to the injury he suffered last year that caused him to miss several games. “I continued to work very hard, I feel very good,” Iniesta said of the last few months.
This Japanese league season, which began in February, Iniesta has played just 85 minutes in five League and Cup appearances. His team is the leader of the J-League after 14 games. “I want to try to finish my career as a footballer playing on a football field, and that part is getting complicated now,” Iniesta said when asked by the media about his future.
“I don’t know, I want to continue playing, I feel capable and I’m excited to continue doing it, but closing this stage we will see what options there may be,” said the midfielder from La Mancha. “I feel very proud of this step, of having helped this club to continue growing”, stressed Iniesta, who thanked his club and his fans on several occasions.
The former FC Barcelona player, world champion and double European champion with the Red, received a bouquet of flowers from his teammates and posed with them in front of the cameras after the presentation, which also attended by his wife and children.
The footballer, who turned 39 years old on May 11, joined Vissel Kobe in July 2018, and was part of the best eleven players in the Japanese league in 2019 and 2021, although since that year he has suffered other’ t other injuries that prevent maintaining regular.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
