<strong>'Let's forge history'</strong> - Miura, fifty-eight, moves to new club.
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 Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura could play in the Japanese professional league - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the first time in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who began his professional journey with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, did not find the net in just over an hour across seven outings last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game remains undimmed, no matter how old I get," he said as he prepares for a 41st season as a pro footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be presented with this chance. I vow 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 played club football in Italy, Croatia and Australia, joined 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 surprising exclusion 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 "take on a new challenge" after being demoted last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima United ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club J3 League last season.
