Andre Iniesta (39-Emirates Club) was all smiles in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Iniesta took to social media on 11 November to share a photo of his first training session with his teammates since joining Emirates Club. I’m looking forward to the first game of the league on the 19th,” he wrote on social media, sharing a photo of the training session.
The Emirates Club players are lined up in two rows, with Iniesta passing between them. The Emirates Club players welcome Iniesta by patting him on the back and head. Iniesta bows his head and smiles broadly. It’s an initiation ritual similar to the game of “Indian Bob” that is practised by sports teams around the world.
Iniesta, who is about to enter his 40s, made a living change this summer. After spending the last five years with Vissel Kobe in Japan’s J-League, he decided to move abroad, initially to the US Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami. The club is home to Iniesta’s former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba.
메이저놀이터 Contrary to expectations, Iniesta opted for the Middle East, not Saudi Arabia, but the UAE’s Emirates Club. He was given the number 8 shirt. The Emirates Club has been promoted from the UAE’s second division to the top flight ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Iniesta tends to stick with a team for a long time. In his native Spain, he spent 22 years playing exclusively for Barcelona. He joined Barcelona’s youth team in 1996 and played for them until the summer of 2018. He won numerous trophies with the club, including nine La Liga titles, six national cups, and four UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles.
In the Japanese J-League, he played exclusively for Vissel Kobe. He also played in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) in a Vissel Kobe shirt, facing Suwon Samsung in the K League. He was a mainstay in his early days at Bissell Kobe, but lost his place after the club changed coaches last year.
He played his farewell game for Vissel Kobe in June this year, against Barcelona. Iniesta left Japan after a romantic farewell to Vissel Kobe and the Barcelona squad. Iniesta’s third challenge will be in the Middle East, in the UAE.