Andres Iniesta joins Vissel Kobe in hope of making his mark on Japanese football after leaving Barcelona

Andres Iniesta hopes to leave his mark on Japanese football and help its continued development after the Barcelona great was announced as the J1 League’s newest acquisition in a deal to join Vissel Kobe.

The 34-year-old, who remains in the Spain squad named by manager Julen Lopetegui for the 2018 World Cup, joins Kobe as one of the most successful players in Barcelona’s history, having won the Liga title nine times with Barcelona along with four Champions League triumphs, six Copa del Reys and both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008 and 2012 respectively.

But after deciding that the time was right to end his 22-year career at Barcelona following the end of his contract, Iniesta expressed his desire to join a club that would not pit him against the Catalan side, with Kobe winning the race to land the midfielder.

Now, the Spanish maestro hopes to replicate the style that saw him become a household name across Europe in Asia in the hope of taking the game to the next level in the Land of the Rising Sun.

"This is a very special day. This is a very important challenge for me and my career," Iniesta said at a press conference on Thursday.

"Therefore, I would like to contribute to my team and show my style of play. That is why I came to Japan and through my play I hope to make contributions for further development for the club and Japanese soccer."

Kobe owner, Hiroshi Mikitani, hailed Iniesta as “the most respected soccer player in the world”, and believes that his arrival is a statement of intent not just from his club but from Japanese football on the whole, given they fended off interest from China in the form of Super League side Chongqing Dangdai.

“I am pleased to announce that Andres Iniesta will be signing up to play for Vissel Kobe after his historic career at FC Barcelona,” said Mikitani. “Iniesta is a top global player. Many of us will recall Iniesta's astounding goal in the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa that brought Spain its first title in the tournament.

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“Since 2015, Iniesta has also led FC Barcelona as captain and last year he was the first player to sign a lifetime contract with the club.”

“I am confident Iniesta's philosophy, leadership and DNA will be a terrific inspiration, not only for Vissel Kobe but all Japanese football society.

“We look forward to Andres Iniesta not only strengthening the team's performance but also contributing to the development of the next generation of players through the introduction of the Iniesta methodology to the youth academy.

“We believe his decision to come to Japan will have a major impact, not just on Vissel Kobe, but on football in Japan and Asia.”

Iniesta is not the first well-known European name to be signed by Kobe as he will join former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski at the club, while former Barcelona great Michael Laudrup also played for the side in 1996-97.