Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has signed a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club 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 former Japan striker, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, failed to score in 69 minutes across seven outings last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game hasn't changed, regardless of my age," he said as he prepares for a forty-first campaign as a professional footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with everything I have to help the team. Let's make history together!"
Known as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth temporary move since 2022 from J2 League side 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 concluded in 2000, two years after his notable omission from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
The footballer, who has talked of playing until he is 60, 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.
