Andres Iniesta Announces He Will Leave Vissel, Amidst Imminent Barcelona Return

Andres Iniesta Announces He Will Leave Vissel, Amidst Imminent Barcelona Return

Ero Samson
updated at May 25, 2023 at 10:39 AM
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  • Andres Iniesta will leave Vissel Kobe this summer
  • The midfielder joined Kobe in 2018 on a three-year deal
  • He further extended his contract by two years until January 2024

Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has said that he would love to return to Camp Nou at some point in his life but added that the possibility of that happening is still far away.

Iniesta, 39, recently announced that he will leave Vissel Kobe midway through the current J League season.

Iniesta, Barcelona
Iniesta has said that he would love to return to Camp Nou. Image: Etsuo Hara.
Source: Getty Images

The midfield maestro will depart from the Japanese club after their home match against Consadole Sapporo at Noevir Stadium on July 1st according to reports from Goal.

The Barcelona legend revealed that despite deciding to leave the Japanese club, he wishes to keep playing. Furthermore, he also mentioned that once he decides to hang up his boots,

“the next thing will be to be at Vissel in another area.”
“I want to keep playing football. I feel like I am capable of still playing. But as this chapter closes, we’ll see what’s possible. I want to finish my career on the pitch playing, and this is what I’m hoping to do,” said the legendary midfielder according to Mundo Deportivo.

A return to Barcelona

There are reports that he might as well head to the Middle East and if he does, there are high chances that he will be joined by his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

The legendary duo has already confirmed that they would leave Barcelona at the end of the season.

Amidst all the emotional responses, Iniesta said he would love to return to Barcelona, but the possibility of this happening is very slim. Above all, he also mentioned that he hopes Xavi stays at Barcelona for many years.

“As I have said many times, I would love to return to Barcelona at some point in my life, but I still think it is far away,” said the midfielder.
“Above all, I hope that Xavi will be a coach for many years, that would be great news for football,” he added.

Why I supported Madrid - Iniesta

Andres Iniesta is a legend of Barcelona, but he wasn’t always a supporter of the team.

In fact, as reported by Sports Brief, he at one stage supported their bitter arch-rivals, Real Madrid.

As noted by Barca Blaugranes, Iniesta supported Real Madrid briefly as a child because he was upset with Barcelona.

Authors
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Ero Samson
Samson Ero is a sports journalist with a track record of over five years in the Nigerian media industry. He graduated from Nigerian Institute of Journalism (2021-2023).
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