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 Japanese professional league - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in five years.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, did not find the net in 69 minutes across seven appearances last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My passion for football remains undimmed, no matter how old I get," he said as he prepares 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 help the team. Let's make history together!"
Referred to 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, signed for the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He scored 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that concluded in 2000, two years after his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
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 relegated last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima United finished 10th in the 20-team third division last season.
