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 J3 League club Fukushima United.
This move means Miura could play in the J.League - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in five years.
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 JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My passion for football hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," he said as he prepares for a forty-first campaign as a pro 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!"
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 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 ended 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 ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.
