Hundreds of soccer- loving fans on Wednesday flocked the streets to cheer Barcelona and Spain legend, Andrés Iniesta when he arrived in Japan to join his new club, Vissel Kobe.

The 34-year-old Spanish World Cup winner, who lifted 32 major trophies while at Camp Nou and made over 600 appearances for the Catalan giants, completed a big-money move to the J-League in May.

About 300 fans came to the Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture to greet Iniesta when he arrived in the early morning.

“I was looking forward to coming to Japan. I want to play as soon as possible. I hope to get ready for Sunday and show the fans good play,” Iniesta told reporters who had gathered at the airport.

Iniesta’s choice of Kobe is arguably Japanese football’s biggest transfer coup, with many top players now moving to the cash-rich Chinese clubs in the twilight of their careers.

Iniesta had said that moving to a Chinese club was also an option for him.

His signing is a timely boost to the Japanese League which has also attracted luminaries such as Brazilian great, Zico and England’s Gary Lineker when it began in 1993, but has struggled to lure renowned players in recent years.

Iniesta is expected to join former Germany and Arsenal striker, Lukas Podolski in the western port city of Kobe after Podolski completed a move from Galatasaray last summer.