<strong>We can make history'</strong> - Kazuyoshi Miura, fifty-eight, joins new club.
The legendary Japanese striker, who turns 59 in February and is the world's oldest professional footballer, has signed a loan deal until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura could play in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, failed to score in 69 minutes across seven appearances last season while on loan at JFL side 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 pro footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be given this opportunity. 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 loan since 2022 from J2 League side 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 scored 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that concluded in 2000, two years after his notable omission from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
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 the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.
