Andres Iniesta, the centrepiece of the ‘Three Stooges’, is going to Dubai, not Messi’s Inter Miami.
The Emirates Club announced on Tuesday (Korea time) that it has signed Spanish football legend Andres Iniesta as the club’s first team player for the 2023/24 season.
A former Barcelona youth product, Iniesta was an integral part of the centre-half’s core between 2002 and 2018, when he won two Ballon d’Ors and three Ballon d’Ors, won World Cups, Champions League and league titles, and led the invincible Spanish side to their glory days.
Along with Busquets and Xavi, he was known as the ‘Three Stooges’ and was responsible for orchestrating the midfield, carrying the ball and breaking through with his dribbling. He was a great match for Messi, as Iniesta would drive the opposition defence back with his dribbling and Messi would use the space at his disposal.
In 2018, he moved from Barcelona to Vissel Kobe of the Japanese J-League, where he stayed for six years until 2023. It was a three-year, 95 billion won contract, and he was paid handsomely. He won the 2019 Emperor’s Cup JFA All Japan Football Championship and qualified for the AFC Asian Champions League, where he met the Suwon Samsung Bluewings.온라인바카라
He signed a new two-year contract with Vissel Kobe in 2021 and although there were rumours of a return to Barcelona and a place in Pep Guardiola’s squad, he played for Vissel Kobe until 2023 and made it official on 1 July that he would be leaving Vissel Kobe.
The Emirates Club boss said: “Iniesta is certainly a legend and signing him will be a great addition to Emirates Football and our role. From a technical point of view, Iniesta is an important player. He will help us in the dressing room and on the pitch and will pass on his great experience to his colleagues.”