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 Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
This move means Miura might feature in the Japanese professional league - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the first time in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, failed to score 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 gears up 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 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 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, shortly following his notable omission from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
Miura, who has talked of playing until he is 60, 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 twenty-club third division last season.
