The former Barcelona and Spain midfielder sits down with
World Soccerto discuss life in Japan, his old team-mate Xavi inthe Nou Camp dugout, and the highlights of his incredible career
“I’d love to return
to Barcelona”
ANDRES INIESTA
You’ve been living in Japan since- Do you feel at home there
now or do you still miss Spain?
I’d say that we miss home a lot. Above all,
because of the recent situation of not being
able to get back and our family not being able
to visit. It’s been very difficult for everyone.
It’s true that changes always generate a bit
of stress, but since the first day we arrived
we’ve felt great here and that feeling has
grown both on a sporting and family level.
We’re very happy here.
On the pitch, what have you made of the
standard of the Japanese league and how
does it compare to playing in Europe?
They’re different. Different levels or however
you want to call it, but it’s not something that
I view as a negative. What I can say is that
since I arrived the league has improved a
lot. It’s grown a lot and, above all, it’s a very
competitive league. That competitiveness is
something that I like, and something I was
looking for when I left Barcelona. I honestly
feel overjoyed here because I’m still looking
after myself as I was before in order to
perform to the best of my ability and
I’m happy on a sporting level.There are three graduates fromLa Masia
now at Vissel Kobe in yourself, Sergi
Samper and Bojan. Did they get in
touch with you before joining?
Yeah, I spoke with them before they joined.
At the end of the day, it’s a big change and
they had some of the typical questions like:
“What’s the place like?” “What’s life like here?”
“What’s the club like?” “How does it all work?”
All the usual worries you might have. It’s beenvery positive; above all having some familiar
faces is always appreciated.There’s a foreign player limit currently in
Japan, but can you see more players from
Europe joining the league in the future?
I would recommend it, without a doubt.
As I said before, it’s a competitive and
demanding league. In fact, there are quite
a lot of Europeans already playing here.
There’s always been a lot of Brazilians; a
connection thatJapan has always had. But
every season there are new players, as well
as those who continue in the league, and I
think it’s on the rise. It’s one of the goals this
league has – to keep improving and for more
players from abroad to come. It’s improving
the quality of the league and those of us
who arrive also learn a lot from being here.Likewise, a few J.League players have
moved to Europe – for example Kyogo
Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi
and Daizen Maeda at Celtic. Do you
think more Japanese players will
make the move in the future?
There are players with quality and above all
young players and, at the end of the day, it
is normal for them to want to make the jump
to Europe or other more prestigious leagues.
There are already players who have left
and more will follow them.You’ve lifted the Emperor’s Cup and the
Japanese Super Cup, and played in Vissel
Kobe’s first-ever AFC Champions League
campaign, but you also needed surgery
after a hamstring injury. How would
you sum up your time in Japan so far?I would say very positive; above all, because
I’m still enjoying my football. I still feel excited
about going to train, about winning, about
helping my team-mates and my club. I think
that’s even more important than the trophies.
Evidently having won two trophies with a club
that hadn’t won anything before, which had
never participated in the AFC Champions
League, there are some super positive,
incredible things for the club. To still be a
part of that obviously makes me happy and
it helps to keep me motivated and makes
me excited about continuing to grow.How do you feel physically now?
Good. At the beginning of every season,
after pre-season, it always takes a while to
get back into the rhythm of games. But that
comes with time and above all I feel good in
myself. As you mentioned, a year ago I had
a serious injury from which I recovered really
well and I finished the season in phenomenal
form. This season has started in the same
waysoI’mexcitedandmotivatedtohave
another great season.You signed a new two-year contract
with Vissel Kobe on your 37th birthday.
Before that, some sources suggested
that you were considering retiring. Did
that really pass through your mind?
No, in all honesty, it didn’t. If it had done,
I would tell you, but at the moment it hasn’t.
As I mentioned earlier, I still have the same
feeling that us footballers have when we
train, play and compete. The day will arrive
when things don’t feel the same as before
but currently I feel good, happy and ready
for another year.