JAPAN’S richest football club Vissel Kobe want to build a bronze statue of World Cup-winning star player Andres Iniesta – and are launching a crowdfunding project to pay for it.

Former Barcelona maestro Iniesta joined Kobe in 2018 in a deal worth a reported US$30 million (RM125.5 million) a year, and signed a two-year contract extension last spring.

The club is owned by tech billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, one of Japan’s richest men.

Now Kobe are looking to raise ¥15 million (RM548,405) to pay tribute to the 37-year-old midfielder with a statue outside their stadium.

The club has asked fans to each chip in between ¥1,100 and ¥1.1 million for the statue, saying it will help turn their stadium into the “sacred ground” of Japanese football.

“To say that it’s a miracle to be around to watch Iniesta playing in Japan is not an exaggeration,” said a blurb on the crowdfunding page on the club’s website.

Contributors will receive benefits ranging from photos taken with Iniesta at the unveiling ceremony to a vote on what pose the statue should adopt.

Iniesta has enjoyed huge popularity in Japan, with analysts estimating he has generated more than US$100 million in ticket sales and revenue.

He has appeared in TV commercials for Japanese sake and mobile phone services.

But he has yet to win the J-League since moving to Japan, with last season’s third-place finish his highest so far.

Brazilian legend Zico, who played in the J-League when it launched in 1993, has a statue outside his former club Kashima Antlers’ stadium. – AFP, January 17, 2022.