<strong>'Let's make history'</strong> - Miura, fifty-eight, signs with new football side.
Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
This move means Miura could play in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of football in Japan - for the initial occasion in five years.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, did not find the net in just over an hour across seven appearances last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My passion for football hasn't changed, regardless of my age," he said as he prepares for a forty-first campaign as a pro footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be presented with this chance. I promise I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Together, we can create a legacy!"
Referred to as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth loan since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.
The veteran, who has also featured in Australia, Italy, and Croatia, joined the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He scored 55 goals in 89 games in an career for the national team that ended in 2000, two years after his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
Miura, who has talked of continuing his career into his seventh decade, said he was ready to "embrace a fresh test" after being relegated last season to Japan's regional leagues.
Fukushima United finished 10th in the twenty-club third division last season.