It's safe to say, Andres Iniesta picked up legendary status during his time at Barcelona.

After progressing through the youth and Barcelona B ranks, the midfielder made his senior debut in 2002 at the age of 18.

And since then, Iniesta made 674 appearances in 16 seasons, picking up nine La Liga titles and four Champions League winners' medals along the way.

His time at the Nou Camp came to an end in 2018 though as he swapped Spain for Japan, signing for J1 League side Vissel Kobe.

However, according to Spanish outlet Sport, the Catalan giants were keen to bring Iniesta back to La Liga in January.

Barcelona approached the Japanese side about a possible loan move until the end of the season which was reportedly met with rejection.

The 26-time La Liga winners are currently trailing Real Madrid at the peak of the table by three points going into today's trip to Real Betis.

And confidence won't be on their side as they go into the game off the back of a Copa del Rey quarter-final defeat at the hands of Athletic Bilbao.

As for Iniesta and Vissel Kobe, they've just clinched two pieces of silverware following triumph in the Emperor's Cup and Japanese Super Cup.

That came following the 2019 season which saw Iniesta's side finish eighth.

The Japanese outfit are now preparing for the AFC Champions League as they take on Johor Darul Ta'zim in their first group game on Wednesday.

That comes just over a week before the J1 League gets back underway for the 2020 season as Iniesta will be hoping to continue to make his mark on Japanese football.