The Spanish soccer player Andrés Iniesta presented this Thursday “Captain”, your own sportswear brandwhich makes its debut in the Japanese market with a line of soccer shoes designed by the former FC Barcelona player in collaboration with Japanese shoemakers.
The world champion and double European champion with La Roja, who has played for Vissel Kobe in Japan since 2018, takes a new step in his career as an entrepreneur with a project “with which he tries to transmit their way of understanding football and life“, as he said at an event held this Thursday at the Tokyo National Stadium.
Capitten symbolizes the values of “humility, sacrifice, hard work and ambition”, as well as “unity and teamwork, above the individual”, said Iniesta about a brand in which he claims to have been involved “100%” throughout its development process.
“It has been a very hard job for many months for the entire team, with the mentality of continuing to work so that the brand continues to live for a long time“, highlighted Iniesta at the event, before a large presence of Japanese media and influencers.
The one from Fuentealbilla (Albacete) decided to present his brand at the Tokyo National Stadium because it was “a very special place” for him, where he won his first title with Vissel (the Emperor’s Cup of Japan, in 2019), in addition to having hosted the Tokyo Olympics.
Soccer shoes are the star product of the catalog with which “Capitten“, designed by Iniesta in collaboration with the Japanese specialist Shimpei Inoueand inspired by models from the 1980s.
“When I stop playing football, one way to continue to be linked to this sport is to have a brand of boots,” Iniesta said when asked about the product, which he defined “as the perfect boots.”
The footballer stressed that “the balance” between its different components has been taken care of to try to optimize “the confidence and comfort” that this shoe offers.
Within the first range of boots, in addition to models for adults and children that can now be reserved online in Japan, the limited edition “Capitten ONE 888” has been launched, signed by the soccer player and with a price of 80,000 yen (about $551 dollars).
Iniesta, who also owns a wine company and has promoted another shoe firm, Mikakus, said that “he had always had it in his head” to launch his own sportswear brand.
Regarding his future, the former FC Barcelona player pointed out that at 38 years old “he will try to continue taking care of himself to give the best of himself”, and added that after almost 5 years in Japan, he considers the Asian country “as part of his life”.
“Capitten” is currently only available in Japan, but Iniesta has the goal of releasing it worldwide soonand for this he is in talks so that other footballers are the image of the brand, in addition to himself, as he explained.
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