Vissel becomes first J. League club to pass ¥10 billion mark
Vissel Kobe became the first Japanese club to surpass ¥10 billion yen ($92.7 million) in annual operating revenue as the club once again topped the J. League earnings list for the 2019 fiscal year, according to figures released Wednesday. The league's financial disclosures showed Vissel, ...
Vissel star Andres Iniesta holds court with young fans online
Vissel Kobe superstar Andres Iniesta shared some of his wisdom with young fans Tuesday during an online question-and-answer session. The Barcelona great and 2010 World Cup winner with Spain fielded questions and gave advice to around 100 children in the live event hosted on Vissel's ...
Andres Iniesta's Japanese journey proving to be winding road
The former Barcelona captain's thoughts have been with his Spanish homeland as he and his Vissel Kobe teammates wait for the J. League season to resume.
Former Japan defender Gotoku Sakai has tested positive for COVID-19, his club Vissel Kobe confirmed Monday, making him the first known J. League player to have been infected. According to Vissel, Sakai fell ill late Wednesday night with a fever of 38 degrees Celsius and ...
Squads, not stars, could define J. League's 2020 season
In its chosen hashtag for the season (#2020の主役は誰だ), the J. League literally asks "who will play the lead role in 2020?" That's never exactly been an easy question to ask, but it's become especially difficult in recent years. The league's supply of reliable stars has ...
Vissel Kobe win wild penalty shootout against Yokohama F. Marinos in Super Cup
It took Vissel Kobe 25 seasons to win their first trophy. The second one took just 90 minutes — and a penalty shootout that will, for better or for worse, go down in Saitama Stadium history. After a 3-3 draw against Yokohama F. Marinos in Saturday's ...
Vissel Kobe announced Saturday that former Germany international Lukas Podolski is leaving the J. League first-division club upon the expiration of his contract. The 34-year-old striker joined Kobe in the summer of 2017 on a 2½-year deal with an estimated annual salary of ¥600 million ...
Andres Iniesta says he hopes to finish playing career in Japan
Former Spain and Barcelona great Andres Iniesta hopes to finish his playing career in Japan with J. League's Vissel Kobe, Spanish media reported Thursday. Following rumors of interest from clubs in North America's Major League Soccer, the 34-year-old Iniesta was quoted in the online edition ...
Vissel rings in new year with first-ever Emperor's Cup title
A new year, a new decade, a new stadium and a new champion. Vissel Kobe christened Tokyo's rebuilt National Stadium with its first-ever Emperor's Cup title on Wednesday, taking advantage of a pair of defensive lapses to defeat Kashima Antlers 2-0 on New Year's Day. The ...
Vissel Kobe's Lukas Podolski is attracting strong interest from MLS side Chicago Fire and Polish top-division side Gornik Zabrze, the online edition of Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger reported Monday. The former Germany World Cup winner, 34, is also being linked with Monterrey of Mexico and Flamengo of ...
Andres Iniesta scored one goal and helped set up another as Vissel Kobe advanced to the Emperor's Cup final with a 3-1 win over Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday. The star-studded J. League club will christen the new National Stadium in Tokyo on New Year's Day ...
Vissel Kobe's David Villa wants to end career on New Year's Day
In a Wednesday news conference occasionally interrupted by tears, Vissel Kobe striker David Villa announced his decision to retire after the end of the current J. League season. The 2010 World Cup winner has spent the twilight of his career globetrotting since establishing himself as ...
