Iniesta's Vissel Kobe move confirmed
After being linked with switches to China and Australia, Barcelona and Spain great Andres Iniesta has joined J.League club Vissel Kobe.
Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta's move to J.League club Vissel Kobe was confirmed on Thursday at a specially arranged news conference in Tokyo.
Iniesta, 34, played his final game for Barcelona in Monday's (AEST) 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad, leaving LaLiga's champion after 16 trophy-laden seasons.
The star playmaker was heavily linked with a move to the Chinese Super League – Chongqing Lifan were widely viewed as the frontrunners - and Australia was also mooted as a possible destination.
But Vissel Kobe, whose club chairman Hiroshi Mikitani is also the chief executive of Japanese electronics company and Barcelona shirt sponsor Rakuten, got its man.
Iniesta will be in action against one of them his play has inspired over the years - ex-Australia coach Ange Postecoglou - when Vissel Kobe meets Yokohama F Marinos in the first leg of their J.League Cup play-off on 2 June.