Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has finalized a temporary transfer until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura could play in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of football in Japan - for the initial occasion in half a decade.
The ex-international forward, who began his professional journey with Brazilian side 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 love for the game 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 presented with this chance. I promise I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Let's make history together!"
Referred to as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth loan since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.
The veteran, who has also featured 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 international career that ended in 2000, shortly following 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 United finished 10th in the 20-team third division last season.
