And Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta announced on Thursday that he would leave Japanese side Vissel Kobe before his contract expires, but plans to continue playing until the age of 39.
The 2010 world champion’s contract runs until the end of the year, but Iniesta has said he will leave Vissel in July after his role declines.
The midfielder has appeared in 3 matches as a substitute and has played a total of 38 minutes this season, with Vissel leading the league by 3 points, having completed 14 out of 34 stages.
The midfield maestro says he doesn’t know where his next destination will be but ruled out retirement.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Iniesta has been linked with a return to Barcelona to join the coaching staff.
“I want to finish my time here well first and then see what my options are,” he told reporters, pausing sporadically to wipe away tears.
He continued: “I want to keep playing and then retire while I’m still active in the stadiums. It’s tough for me here so I want to find a place where I can retire at the end.”
The painter joined Vissel Kobe in 2018 after 16 years in the Barcelona first team, with which he won the Champions League four times and the Spanish League nine times.
He signed a 3-year contract with Vissel with an annual salary of $30 million, which he extended in May 2021.
Iniesta won the Emperor’s Cup in 2019 and led Vissel to the AFC Champions League semi-finals a year later, and he also won the 2020 Japanese Super Cup.
But the team struggled to avoid relegation last season and sacked several managers in succession before eventually finishing 13th in the 18-team league.
Iniesta said leaving Vissel was “one of the hardest decisions of my career. I always thought I would retire here, but things didn’t go the way I wanted”.
He added: “Over the last few months I’ve been training hard with the aim of contributing to the team, but I’m starting to feel the coach has different priorities.”
Iniesta will face Vissel in a friendly against Barcelona at the National Stadium in Tokyo on June 6.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
