ANDRES INIESTA - FBL-JPN-ESP-BARCELONA-INIESTA
Spanish footballer Andres Iniesta, former Barcelona star and a present midfielder with Japanese club Vissel Kobe, speaks during a press conference in Kobe on May 25, 2023. YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images

Legendary midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his departure from Japanese football club Vissel Kobe in a press conference yesterday. The 39-year-old has played for the club since he left Barcelona in 2018.

He intends to continue his storied career, but no concrete plans for the future are on the horizon.

Iniesta is expected to make a decision soon, according to renowned Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

FC Barcelona, Vissel Kobe to Hold Friendly Match

It was announced earlier this month that FC Barcelona and Vissel Kobe would be having a friendly match in Tokyo at the 66,000-seater Japan National Stadium this coming June 6, which is also expected to be captain Sergio Busquet's last appearance for the Spanish club.

Upon the official announcement of Iniesta's departure from Vissel Kobe, Barcelona began discussing with the Japanese club the possibility of Iniesta playing for each team per half in the friendly, according to a tweet by journalist Reshad Rahman.

This would be the first time Iniesta would don the striped kit since 2018, when he gracefully left the club having served as captain for three years.

The lone goalscorer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final made a name for himself in Barcelona, with his playmaking skills, ability to control the ball, and read play among crucial reasons for the Spanish club's success during the past decade.