He has finally chosen his destination
Andres Iniesta has spent his entire career at Barcelona. He joined the club’s famed La Masia academy as a 12-year-old, before rising through the ranks and becoming the legend he is today.
After 21 years at the Camp Nou though, Iniesta’s time has come to an end. He will depart at the end of the season after a glittering career which has seen him win everything in front of him, and establish himself as one of the greatest footballers of his generation.
While his departure has been public knowledge for months, major questions have swirled around his potential next destination. For the past few weeks a move to China has been heavily hinted at for the 33-year-old, while Australia has also been mooted as a possible place of interest.
Iniesta walks off the pitch for his final El Clasico appearance. Decent player, tbf @JOE_co_uk pic.twitter.com/NyQQDTvwhq
— Wayne Farry (@waynefarry) May 6, 2018
Reports today in Spanish media however claim that Iniesta favours a move to Japan, and has had a move to J-League club Vissel Kobe personally conducted by the CEO of Rakuten, Barcelona’s primary sponsor.
It had already been revealed that any prospective move for the Spanish international would hinge on plans to create an academy, as well as finding Asian rights holders for his winery.
According to the reports, Iniesta will earn as much as €25 million per year while in Japan, where he will play alongside another World Cup winner in the form of Lukas Podolski if the deal goes through.
He could well be joined in the country by a former teammate – if rumours are to be believed – with Fernando Torres already said to be weighing up a move to J-League side Sagan Tosu.
