Kazuyoshi Miura, who turns 59 in February and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura might feature in the Japanese professional 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 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 passion for football remains undimmed, regardless of my age," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a professional footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be given this opportunity. I vow I will play with all my heart to help the team. Together, we can create a legacy!"
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 netted 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 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 ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.
