Barcelona wrapped up their season with a triumphant 2-0 victory against Vissel Kobe during a club friendly held in Tokyo on Tuesday. The Catalan giants quickly secured their win, scoring two goals within three minutes, courtesy of Franck Kessié and Eric Garcia.
The much-anticipated match featured Mexico international Julian Araujo’s debut for Barcelona and also marked Andres Iniesta’s final game for Vissel Kobe. Araujo, a 21-year-old talent who joined Barca from LA Galaxy for a fee of up to €4 million earlier this year, had been unable to play competitively due to missing January’s registration deadline by a mere 18 seconds.
After four months of training alongside the first team, Araujo made his inaugural appearance for Barca at the Japan National Stadium. The adaptable defender played as a right-back in the first half before transitioning to the left side of defense in the second half. Sources told ESPN that Barcelona intends to keep Araujo with the first team during their preseason tour of the U.S., where they will evaluate the best course for his development next season.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez also introduced several young players during the friendly match, which took place less than 48 hours after the LaLiga champions’ domestic campaign concluded with a 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo. Pau Prim and Dani Rodriguez started the game, while Marc Giui, Hector Fort, and Unai Hernandez joined in the second half.
Pablo Torre, a standout player in the match, was instrumental in both of Barcelona’s goals. Torre executed a stunning defense-splitting pass to set up Kessié’s 16th-minute opener and provided the corner that led to Garcia’s goal just three minutes later. Although J-League leaders Vissel Kobe had opportunities to equalize, Barca’s goalkeeper Inaki Pena made several critical saves to preserve the lead.
The friendly match also saw former Barca midfielder Iniesta face his old club for the second time since leaving Camp Nou in 2018, following a 22-year tenure that began in the youth academy. The 39-year-old met with ex-teammate Xavi before the game and bid farewell to Vissel Kobe, ending his five-year stay in Japan. Despite losing his place in the team this year, Iniesta believes he can still play regular football. Sources have indicated that he is considering offers from Major League Soccer, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Dubai.
