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Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta is asking for help to save his boyhood club Albacete from bankruptcy.

In an open letter published Thursday on Albacete's club website, the Barcelona star said "I would like to encourage all the people linked to the club (...) to purchase shares so we can save this historic club."

Albacete, located in southeastern Spain, needs to raise ñ3.7 million ($4.8 million). Shares cost 60 euro ($78) each.

Iniesta played at Albacete before joining Barcelona's youth academy. He became Albacete's maximum shareholder last December when he bought 420,000 euros ($545,000) worth of shares in the club.

Albacete was relegated from the first division in 2004-05 and slipped to the third division last season.

Fellow third-tier team Real Oviedo was recently saved from ruin by a similar fundraising campaign.