Watch: The story of Andres Iniesta and why he chose Japan

Andres Iniesta is one of football’s most decorated players, having won everything for both club and country. But why did he decide to switch Barcelona for Japan in 2018?

Due to modern coaching and nutrition, we are now seeing more players continuing to play into their late thirties at the highest level.

When Iniesta left for Japan in 2018 he was only 34-years-old and while he was no longer at the peak of his powers, he certainly had plenty left in the tank.

Since moving to Vissel Kobe, Iniesta has played 117 matches, scoring 26 goals in the process.

On arrival in Japan Iniesta said, “This is a very special day for me. This is a very important challenge for my career”

“The J-League will hopefully spread in Asia. I’d like to help with that.”

The J-League had previously had a reputation for attracting some of the world’s biggest stars, with the likes of Gary Linekar and Michael Laudrup.

More recently the likes of Diego Forlán, Lukas Podolski and David Villa have all featured in the league, but Iniesta is undoubtedly the biggest name.

On signing for Vissel Kobe, Iniesta was handed a reported $30million annual salary on a three-year deal.

The Spanish midfielder had achieved everything he could have possibly won at Barcelona and he was ready for a fresh challenge.

It is also worth noting that Barcelona had been on a steady decline since the 14/15 season and you could argue Iniesta got out at the right time.

Barcelona did win the La Liga title in Iniesta’s final season with the club, with him making 45 appearances across all competitions.

Although by this point, Barcelona’s struggles in Europe had already begun.

Having been 4-1 up in the first leg, Barcelona crumbled by losing 3-0 to Roma in the second leg and they crashed out