J1 Kobe captain and former Spanish midfielder Andrés Iniesta held a press conference on the 25th, announcing his retirement from Kobe this summer. Iniesta even cried, saying, "From now on, I want to support Kobe from a different form and angle." His contract remained until the end of December.
Chairman Hiroshi Mikitani was also present at his departure press conference.
It was a contract until the end of this season, but it was announced that he would leave the team before the end of the season, and the match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the 19th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League on July 1st will be the last game.
Iniesta enters the venue with a solemn look on his face. Just before the press conference, it seems that there was also time to have a light chat with Mr. Hiroshi Mikitani, who is the chairman and president of the company.
Kobe players were also present at the press conference, and their teammates listened intently to Iniesta's story.
Iniesta had tears in his eyes during the press conference. The club has released an official YouTube channel, showing behind the scenes, including the situation before and after the press conference.
Iniesta, who has been with Vissel for about five years, has not only helped the team progress through his own play, but has also had a great effect in many ways.
In 2018, when Iniesta came to Japan, the number of visitors to Vissel's home games increased significantly from the previous year because they wanted to see him. More than 360,000 people visited the year, about 50,000 more, including 2019.
Along with this, Vissel's operating income, which is based on sponsorship income such as admission fees and advertisements, has also greatly increased. In 2019, it reached over 11.4 billion yen, making it the first J-League club to exceed 10 billion yen for the year.
In 2019, his second year in Japan, he set up a soccer school and expanded it to Kobe and Osaka. Aiming to develop human resources who will be responsible for the future of Japanese football by passing on his own experience, Iniesta himself has regularly coached the team while inviting a coach he trusts from Spain.
Furthermore, despite being a world-class superstar, he has a friendly personality and has been familiar to the people of Kobe.
In 2021, based in Kobe, he worked on rehabilitation from a serious injury to his right thigh, and during training on Mt. Rokko, he responded to the fans' calls with a smile.
A woman in her 40s from Kobe said, "I thought Iniesta would stay in Kobe for the rest of his life, so I'm lonely. It's only natural for a soccer player to want to play, and I think we should support him." I want to say thank you for coming," he said.
A man in his 60s said, "It's a pity that I won't be able to see Iniesta play in Kobe. When I retire, I want him to come back to Kobe and raise the next generation."