Former Spain and Barcelona great Andres Iniesta thanked his Japanese fans for their "love and respect" after kicking off his farewell celebrations for J-League side Vissel Kobe at Tokyo's National Stadium on Tuesday. The 39-year-old icon, who will play his last J1 match for Kobe against Consadole Sapporo on July 1, made his stadium swansong in a 2-0 exhibition loss to a Barcelona side managed by another of the Catalan club's former stalwarts, his longtime teammate Xavi. The match preluded the end of a five-year J-League stint during which Iniesta raised Vissel's profile to unprecedented heights and brought the club their first major silverware, the Emperor's Cup, at the same stadium on New Year's Day in 2020.

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