Iniesta named new Vissel Kobe captain

Andres Iniesta has been named Vissel Kobe's new captain as the J1 League club look to get back on track following a poor start to the season.

The former Barcelona midfielder replaces ex-Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski in the role, with the German having stepped down last week amid reports of turmoil behind the scenes.

Kobe are 11th in the table after eight fixtures and have lost their past three games in a row, winning just one of their previous five.

Iniesta, 34, joined the club last year having previously spent his entire career with Barca.

He was captain of the Blaugrana in his final three seasons with the club and wore the armband in the 2015 Champions League final when Barca beat Juventus 3-1 in Berlin to complete a treble.

April 23, 2019