<strong>'Let's forge history'</strong> - Kazuyoshi Miura, fifty-eight, signs with a fresh team.
Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has signed a temporary transfer until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura could play in the Japanese professional league - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in five years.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, did not find the net in just over an hour across seven outings last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game remains undimmed, regardless of my age," he said as he prepares for a 41st season as a pro footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with all my heart to help the team. Together, we can create a legacy!"
Known 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, signed for 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 concluded in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
Miura, who has expressed a desire for continuing his career into his seventh decade, said he was ready to "take on a new challenge" after being relegated last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima United ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.
