(Ras Al Khaimah) Former Barcelona and Spain star Andrés Iniesta signed on Wednesday with Emirates FC, a club in the United Arab Emirates where he is expected to end his football career at 39 after leaving Japan in July , earlier than expected.
Iniesta, who will wear the number 8 shirt again, will “stay with us for years to come”, said Emirates FC chairman Youssef Al Batran, noting that his country has “attracted a big star”.
The Spanish player announced in May his departure from Vissel Kobe (J-League) when his contract was due to expire at the end of the year with the Japanese club, where he remained on the bench most of the time this season.
“This is another very important step in my career after the long years spent in Barcelona and then in Japan,” Iniesta said at an official ceremony in Ras Al Khaimah.
“I am here to open a new page and I will do everything possible to achieve the best results with my team,” he promised.
“I have always done my best with Barcelona and Vissel Kobe, and I will do the same here,” he added.
Emirates FC is the club of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, an oil-rich Gulf state where Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the capital, are located.
Emirates FC have had their ups and downs in recent years, winning the Emirates Cup and Super Cup in 2020, while being relegated in the same season to the Second Division.
Iniesta joined Vissel Kobe in 2018 after 16 years at Barcelona, his original club with which he won everything, including the Champions League four times and nine La Liga titles.
The player also co-wrote the most beautiful pages in the history of the Spanish selection, world champion in 2010 and twice European champion (2008, 2012).
With Vissel Kobe, Iniesta won the Emperor’s Cup in 2019 and the Japanese Super Cup in 2020. He also led his team to the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League that year.
But what followed was less glorious, as the club struggled against relegation and changed managers frequently last season.
