On July 1, 2023, one superstar walked off the pitch amid thunderous applause. The player was Andrés Iniesta. It has been approximately five years since this once-in-a-generation genius―who has claimed titles including the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and La Liga―arrived in Kobe in 2018. What did he bring to Vissel Kobe? We look back on his time at Vissel Kobe and the career he built there.

The Iniesta Effect: Fulfilling a Long-Awaited Dream

It was in 2018 that Iniesta chose Kobe as his new home. “I want to see you playing in a Vissel Kobe uniform. Please help us build a new future for the club together.” After receiving a passionate offer from Chairman Mikitani, Iniesta decided to make the move. Enormous crowds of supporters flocked to get a glimpse of his play, and in 2018, the year he joined, Vissel Kobe’s average home league attendance exceeded 20,000. In 2019, the club won the Emperor’s Cup to claim their first title in club history. Iniesta was the driving force behind the achievement of that long-awaited dream. His brilliant ability to read the game and instantly shift its momentum raised the quality not only of Vissel Kobe, but of Japanese soccer as a whole. Unlike many high-profile foreign players who arrived in the J.League only to underperform and depart, Iniesta made a lasting impact in Japan.

Helping Teammates Grow

Iniesta was also irreplaceable to his teammates. Iniesta served as captain from 2019 to lead the team. When the game was going against them, he would raise his voice to inspire his teammates and sometimes wear his emotions on his sleeve. He also led meetings in the locker room and worked to strengthen team unity. Yusei Ozaki, a Vissel Kobe Academy graduate who played alongside him from 2022, spoke of Iniesta.

“Even though we played different positions, he was always giving me advice not just during games but also in practice. Because he’s a player who has competed at the very top of the world, there’s weight to his words. He would sometimes get fired up during games, but watching him skillfully control his mindset and lead the team was incredibly instructive. I also respect him for the family-loving side he showed by putting photos of his wife and children on his locker.”

Tsuboi Yuya, another player from the Vissel Kobe Academy, recalls an episode with Iniesta

“He told me he’s not comfortable speaking in front of people, but at my debut match, he praised me in front of all my teammates during the post-match meeting by saying ‘Well done.’ It made me so happy, and also gave me tremendous confidence. He’s kind and considerate to everyone on the team, so I felt he was the kind of captain everyone wants to follow.”

Iniesta led the team, not just with his play but also with his words to motivate his teammates and guide them. There is no doubt that his captaincy contributed to the growth of younger players.

Developing the Next Generation

Iniesta also put great energy into nurturing the next generation. In 2019 he launched a soccer school and has been teaching children in Japan the joy of soccer. Getting direct instruction from a legend who has reached the pinnacle of the world is an invaluable opportunity for children. The children participated with shining eyes, and Iniesta himself interacted with the children with a guileless smile, as if he were just a boy, too. What drives Iniesta to engage in these activities is his wish to introduce more children to soccer so they can lead richer lives. In 2023, Iniesta launched the soccer training app Iniesta Academy Digital together with Rakuten Sports, and he developed online soccer training for children who couldn’t attend his in-person classes. Rakuten champions the philosophy of “A Better Future Together Through Sport,” and he was someone who embodied that both on and off the pitch. The future Iniestas are chasing the ball even today.

Love

On June 6, following the announcement of his departure, a friendly match against his former club FC Barcelona was organized, drawing nearly 50,000 spectators to the National Olympic Stadium. Fans from not just Kobe but all across Japan came to bid farewell to the legend. On July 1, after his final match, Iniesta spoke tearfully at his farewell ceremony: “What I am taking away as a precious memory is the love and respect you all showed me and my family from day one, and I will be eternally grateful for that. I think of Kobe as our home, and I have thought that since the first time I came to Kobe.”

The life, culture, and environment of Kobe may have been ideal for building his own future. The sight of him walking over to the supporters’ section behind the goal after his speech to interact with fans was deeply moving. In the end, he thanked everyone in Japanese: “Arigatou Gozaimashita, Mina-san.”

This mosaic art was created from messages to Iniesta in 15 languages collected from Rakuten employees around the world. Messages like “Thank you for choosing Japan and making it your home!” “I still remember the excitement when you came to the company,” and “I quit Rakuten, but joined again because you came to Vissel Kobe!” show just how much Rakuten employees loved Iniesta. While his playing days in Japan are over, Iniesta’s career—and his relationship with Vissel Kobe—will continue going forward. Cheers to his future.

Dale dale Don Andrés mi capitán (Go, go, Don Andrés, my captain)

Iniesta’s artwork is here

TEXT: Kodai Wada