<strong>'Let's create a legacy'</strong> - Kazuyoshi Miura, 58, moves to new club.
Kazuyoshi Miura, who turns 59 in February and is the world's oldest professional footballer, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
This move means Miura might feature in the Japanese professional league - the top three divisions of football in Japan - 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 69 minutes across seven outings last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game hasn't changed, 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. 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, signed for the club in 2005 but has remained absent from the pitch for them since 2020.
He netted 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that ended in 2000, two years after his notable omission from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
Miura, who has talked of 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 finished 10th in the twenty-club J3 League last season.