J-League club Vissel Kobe announced on Monday that Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen has left the team after the expiry of his contract.
#OTD in 2009: Thomas Vermaelen scored on his debut in a 6-1 win over Everton. He was later named in the PFA Team of the Year for that season (09/10). pic.twitter.com/0tmQleJeUF
— Throwback Arsenal (@ThrowbackAFC) August 15, 2021
Vermaelen signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Japanese team in 2019 after leaving Barcelona, and helped Vissel Kobe win the Emperor’s Cup that year, the club’s first domestic title.
The 36-year-old was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League 2020, and finished third in the J-League to qualify for the continental championship next year.