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.
This move means Miura could play in the Japanese professional league - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the first time in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, did not find the net in just over an hour across seven appearances last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game remains undimmed, 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 vow I will play with all my heart 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 second division club Yokohama FC.
The veteran, 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 career for the national team that concluded in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
The footballer, who has talked of playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "take on a new challenge" after being demoted last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima United finished 10th in the twenty-club J3 League last season.
