Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta renews contract with Vissel Kobe

On the day of his 37th birthday, Barcelona legend and current Vissel Kobe midfielder Andres Iniesta has renewed his contract with the Japanese outfit. The Spaniard will stay with them till 2023. He left Barcelona for Japan back in 2018 and has enjoyed a successful playing stint since then.

It was revealed earlier that Iniesta had scheduled a press conference for an important announcement that may hint to his future plans and retirement. However, it seems as though the legendary midfielder is happy and content to continue his playing career for the foreseeable future.

Prior reports also state that Iniesta could return to Barcelona once he calls time on his retirement, perhaps to join the technical department. Under Joan Laporta’s presidency, the Spaniard had already been reportedly approached to return as a coach in the lower categories.

イニエスタ選手との契約更新が決定！
2023年まで延長することに合意しました。

詳細はこちら?https://t.co/wAOARCwzLr

Andres Iniesta has extended his contract until 2023!@andresiniesta8 ha extendido su contrato hasta 2023!#8HereToStay #visselkobe #ヴィッセル神戸 pic.twitter.com/dCc7UkKWHo

— ヴィッセル神戸 (@visselkobe) May 11, 2021

It will now be a while before the beloved midfielder is back in Catalonia. Iniesta was sidelined for a majority of Vissel Kobe’s current campaign due to an injury, but he now seems to have returned to fitness after surgery and rehab and can continue gracing the pitch with his magic for a couple of seasons more, which is truly great news for the maestro.

Since joining three years ago, Andres Iniesta has made 77 appearances for Vissel Kobe, scoring 16 goals and providing 18 assists in those games. He has also won the Japanese Cup and Japanese Supercup with his side in 2019 and 2020, respectively.