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.
The transfer means Miura could play in the Japanese professional league - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in five years.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with Brazilian side 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 pro footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be presented with this chance. 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 temporary move since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.
Miura, who has also played club football in Australia, Italy, and Croatia, joined the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He netted 55 goals in 89 games in an career for the national team that concluded in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
The footballer, who has expressed a desire for playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "take on a new challenge" after being demoted last season to Japan's regional leagues.
Fukushima finished 10th in the twenty-club third division last season.
