Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura might feature in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with Brazilian side 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 hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," he said as he prepares for a forty-first campaign as a professional footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be presented with this chance. I promise I will play with all my heart 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.
Miura, 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 ended in 2000, two years after his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
The footballer, who has talked of continuing his career into his seventh decade, said he was ready to "embrace a fresh test" after being relegated last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima United finished 10th in the 20-team J3 League last season.
