Published 19:45 IST, April 17th 2020
Andres Iniesta brushes off retirement plans amid crisis, aims to prolong his career
Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has lifted the lid on his retirement plans football following the coronavirus outbreak that has halted football in Japan.
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Amid the coronavirus crisis, fans began to ponder over the Andres Iniesta retirement at Vissel Kobe as the Spaniard will turn 36 in May. Reports claim that the Barcelona legend departed the Camp Nou as he felt he could no longer play at the standard set by the club. Therefore, upon entering the final few years of the Andres Iniesta Vissel Kobe career, the World Cup winner was expected to hang up his boots amid the coronavirus crisis. However, the four-time Champions League winner has dismissed rumours of the 'Andres Iniesta retirement' news insisting that he wants to prolong his career following the break handed by the coronavirus outbreak.
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Andres Iniesta retirement rumours slammed:
Fans were left to wonder whether the coronavirus outbreak would bring an end to players' careers that were nearing the end of their journey. The 'Andres Iniesta retirement' story was trending on social media as the midfielder was classified in the same bracket but in a recent interview with The Guardian, the former World Cup winner explained that the Iniesta Vissel Kobe career is far from finished. Having slammed and discarded the 'Andres Iniesta retirement' rumours, the ex-Barcelona star stated that he is itching for a to return on the pitch to play football once again.
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Iniesta honours: Andres Iniesta retirement update
The latest Andres Iniesta retirement update is that the midfielder wants to prolong his career and play football at a professional level for as long as possible. Spending 54 days at home due to the lockdown has made Iniesta focus on his fitness and offered him a mental break as well. Having begun his senior career at Barcelona in 2002, Iniesta went on to win 35 trophies with the Spanish giants. Iniesta is also a World Cup winner with Spain and his goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 final clinched the final for La Roja. Iniesta also played a key role for Spain in their back-to-back Euro triumphs in 2008 and 2012.
Andres Iniesta Vissel Kobe career: Iniesta Vissel Kobe honours
The Andres Iniesta Vissel Kobe career began in the summer of 2018 when the midfielder signed for the J League club from LaLiga outfit Barcelona. In his first season with Vissel Kobe in the J League, Iniesta scored three goals and notched up three assists as well. In January 2020, Andres Iniesta won his first title with Visse Kobe after guiding the Japanese club to the Emperor's Cup.
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Coronavirus in Spain: Iniesta's parents stuck in Fuentealbilla
The coronavirus in Spain situation has worsened over the past few weeks and the death toll has accounted for 19,315 fatalities in the country. Iniesta has admitted that he keeps thinking about his parents that are still in the village of Fuentealbilla in Spain and cannot leave their homes amid the crisis. According to Worldometer, Spain has 90,836 active cases of coronavirus.
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19:45 IST, April 17th 2020