Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has finalized a loan deal until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
This move means Miura could play in the Japanese professional league - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in half a decade.
The ex-international forward, 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 JFL side 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 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 J2 League side Yokohama FC.
Miura, who has also played club football in Italy, Croatia and Australia, 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 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.
Miura, 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 finished 10th in the twenty-club J3 League last season.
