World Cup Shows Iniesta Still Has Plenty To Offer
In a general sense, the leagues of the Far East are often incorrectly considered by fans of European Football to be "retirement leagues," where players go in search of a final pay cheque before their impending retirement.
Players such as Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, and Jose Fonte have all made moves to China in recent windows in an effort to keep earning even as their skills decline.
Recently, however, clubs in Japan and China have made a consorted effort to rid themselves of that title, signing younger players who are yet to hit the peak of their career.
Ajax's Nemanja Gudelj (aged 26) Atletico Madrid's and Yannick Carrasco (aged 24) have moved to the Chinese Super League despite their relative youth, which is a clear sign of the new direction adopted by many of these clubs.
However, youthfulness and longevity may not be the best metric by which to judge the quality of signings made by Asian clubs. Vissel Kobe's signing of Andres Iniesta may be one of the most intelligent captures by a Japanese club to date, and this most recent World Cup shows that he still has plenty to offer.
The 2010 Champion's move to Vissel is largely due to the club's owners, the Japanese e-commerce giants Rakuten, who Barcelona's newest sponsors. Iniesta will be joining Kobe in the middle of a campaign where they currently sit sixth, which, if maintained, would constitute their highest ever league finish.
The retiring Spanish international will join former Germany striker Lukas Podolski, who signed for the J-League outfit in 2017.
While his quality has never been in doubt, he has shown that even at age 34, he is able to play at the highest level due to a supreme level of vision and technical ability that more than compensate for any physical deficiencies.
With a team built around him, as most would imagine Vissel Kobe will be upon his arrival, he could elevate the quality of the side with his sheer professionalism and technical excellence.
It has been years since Iniesta was in the conversation about being the world's best, but given his most recent showing, there is reason to believe that Iniesta's presence can transform Vissel Kobe into being one of Asia's top clubs.