Andres Iniesta may join Chongqing Lifan as both player and partner

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Andres Iniesta, captain of FC Barcelona, is getting close to join the Chongqing Lifan Football Club of Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL) as both a player and a partner, one high-ranking official of Lifan has shared some latest progress to Tencent Sports.

The negotiation between Iniesta’s team and Lifan is coming to an end with both sides reaching consensus. If he joins the CLS club, he will not just be a player that enjoys tens of millions of euros as yearly salary, but also as partner of Jiang Lizhang, the club’s president, in sports industry.

July 1, 2012: Andres Iniesta of Spain poses in the dressing room with the trophy following the UEFA EURO 2012 final match between Spain and Italy at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine. /VCG Photo

Some Spanish newspapers were reporting that Lifan would pay Iniesta as much as 30 million euros a year. When asked about this, the official countered with a question: “Do you really think our president will do that?” He then stressed that Lifan has been sticking to Jiang’s concept of making rational investments with no exceptions for any player. If this is true, Iniesta is unlikely to get paid with an absurd number like 30 million.

Moreover, if Iniesta joins, his income will not be limited to salary for player but can also include revenues from business activities such as advertisement. As for his player’s salary, the official said it would not exceed the number Iniesta received in Barcelona.

July 11, 2010: Goalscorer Andres Iniesta of Spain lifts the World Cup trophy as the Spain team celebrate victory following the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Final match between Netherlands and Spain at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. /VCG Photo

Iniesta will also bring his teams for football school and youth training to China. As one of the best players coming from Barcelona’s La Masia youth training camp, he and his team can make excellent contributions to the youth development of football in both China and Chongqing.

Born in 1984, Iniesta joined La Masia when he was 12 years old and made his debut for Barcelona in 2002. So far, he has helped his team win eight La Liga champions and four titles of the UEFA Champions League.

Furthermore, having been picked into Spain’s men’s football team, Iniesta helped his country win two titles of the European Football Championship in 2008 and 2012 as well as the trophy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.