March 29, 2024, 11:24 am


FARZANA

Published:
2018-05-24 16:47:28 BdST

Andres Iniesta says going to 'new home' Japan


FT ONLINE

Andres Iniesta tweeted Wednesday he was going to his "new home" with his "friend" Hiroshi Mikitani, owner of Japan's Vissel Kobe, implying he would now be playing there after leaving Barcelona.

The 34-year-old posted a photo of him and Mikitani in what appeared to be a private jet, along with emojis of the Japanese flag and a football.

Iniesta announced last month that he would be leaving Barca at the end of the season, bringing an end to a 22-year association with the club.

The midfielder has enjoyed a glittering career, winning eight La Liga and four Champions League titles.

Kobe currently sit sixth in the J-League first division standings after 15 games played, having finished ninth in the table last term.

If the move to Kobe is confirmed, Iniesta will join former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski in the western Japanese port city after the German completed a move from Galatasaray last summer.

Danish legend Michael Laudrup, himself a former Barcelona fan favourite and one of Iniesta's boyhood heroes, also played for Vissel in 1996-97.

Iniesta, who famously scored the winning goal for Spain against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final, was top of Mikitani's wishlist.

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