<strong>We can make history'</strong> - Kazuyoshi Miura, 58, joins new team.
Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is the world's oldest professional footballer, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
This move means Miura might feature in the Japanese professional league - the top three divisions of football in Japan - for the first time in five years.
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 fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game remains undimmed, no matter how old I get," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a professional footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be presented with this chance. I promise I will play with all my heart to help the team. Together, we can create a legacy!"
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 featured 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 career for the national team that concluded in 2000, two years after 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 "embrace a fresh test" after being relegated last season to Japan's regional leagues.
Fukushima ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club J3 League last season.