🔗 Share this article

Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has finalized a loan deal until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.

This move means Miura might feature in the Japanese professional league - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in half a decade.

The ex-international forward, who began his professional journey with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, failed to score in 69 minutes across seven outings last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.

"My passion for football remains undimmed, no matter how old I get," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a pro footballer.

"I am truly thankful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Let's make history together!"

Referred to as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth temporary move since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.

Miura, who has also played club football in Australia, Italy, and Croatia, signed for the club in 2005 but has remained absent from the pitch for them since 2020.

He scored 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that ended in 2000, shortly following his notable omission from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.

Miura, who has expressed a desire for playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "embrace a fresh test" after being relegated last season to Japan's regional leagues.

Fukushima ended the season in tenth place in the 20-team J3 League last season.