Andres Iniesta, a former Spain international, will depart Vissel Kobe in the middle of the current J.League season, the Japanese club announced on Thursday.
The 39-year-old former Barcelona midfielder, who joined Kobe in 2018, left the Catalan club after an illustrious career during which he collected 30 trophies.
With Spain, he also captured the World Cup and consecutive European Championships.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Iniesta for his significant contributions to Vissel Kobe over the course of the past five years since his joining.
After their July 1 home game against Consadole Sapporo at Noevir Stadium, Iniesta will depart Kobe. After 14 games, the club leads by three points.
He has so far made 133 appearances for Kobe, winning the Japanese Super Cup in 2020 and the Emperor's Cup in 2019.