<strong>'Let's create a legacy'</strong> - Kazuyoshi Miura, 58, signs with a fresh team.
Kazuyoshi Miura, who turns 59 in February and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura could play in the Japanese professional league - encompassing the highest tiers of football in Japan - for the initial occasion in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who began his professional journey with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, did not find the net in just over an hour across seven appearances last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game hasn't changed, regardless of my age," he said as he gears up for a 41st season as a professional footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be given this opportunity. I vow 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 loan since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.
Miura, 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 international career that concluded in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
The footballer, 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 Japan's regional leagues.
Fukushima finished 10th in the twenty-club J3 League last season.