Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has signed a loan deal until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
This move means Miura could play 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 just over an hour across seven outings last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My passion for football hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a professional footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with all my heart to make a contribution. 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.
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 netted 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that ended in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
The footballer, who has talked of 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 ended the season in tenth place in the 20-team third division last season.
