This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.
On July 27, 2019, Belgian international defender Thomas Vermaelen made a high-profile move to Vissel Kobe, a Japanese club, after his contract with Barcelona expired.
Vermaelen, 33, will team up with other notable players, including David Silva, Lucas Podolski, and his former Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta.
According to reports, Vermaelen had turned down an offer to join Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, opting instead to join Vissel Kobe.
"I'm very excited to be here to help the team, to improve the team," Vermaelen said at a news conference in Kobe, western Japan, ahead of a friendly between Barcelona and Vissel Kobe.
Vermaelen, who has played 74 times for Belgium, including a recent 3-0 Euro qualifier win against Scotland in June, aims to share his experience at Barcelona with the Japanese club.
Vermaelen began his career at Ajax before moving on to Arsenal and Barcelona, with a loan spell at Roma.
