JAKARTA - The presence of Andres Iniesta in Japan made his club Vissel Kobe break their own income record. The club posted an operating profit of 11.44 billion yen - about 96 million euros - in the 2019 fiscal year, which ended March 31.
This will be the first time a Japanese team has grossed over 10 billion yen, according to a report released by the J-League on Wednesday, May 27. The club's previous record was 9.6 billion yen - 81 million euros - in 2018.
Vissel Kobe's sponsorship income increased by 10 million euros, while ticket sales also increased rapidly.
On the other hand, Fernando Torres' former club Sagan Tosu posted a deficit of 2.1 billion yen - around 18 million euros - for last year.
Iniesta decided to retire from Barcelona at the end of the 2017-2018 season and chose to join Vissel Kobe with a three-year contract duration. Vissel Kobe owner Hiroshi Mikitani is the CEO of Barca's main sponsor, Rakuten, a Japanese online retailer.
Before Iniesta, Vissel Kobe already had another classy player, Lukas Podolski. However, the German striker suffered a calf injury when Iniesta arrived in Japan.
Iniesta's debut with Vissel Kobe ended unpleasantly. The former Barcelona captain failed to prevent Vissel Kobe from losing.
Vissel Kobe lost 0-3 to Shonan Bellmare in the J-League continued in July 2018. However, so far, the La Masia football academy graduate has contributed two trophies to his club, namely the Emperor's Cup 2019 and the Japanese Super Cup 2020.
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