Japanese football legend Kazuyoshi Miura, at 58, has secured a new loan deal with Fukushima United, a third division team in Japan, marking his 41st season as a professional player.
Popularly known as ‘King Kazu’, Miura will be competing in the top three divisions of Japanese football for the first time in five years.
“My passion for football hasn’t changed, no matter how old I get,” Miura remarked.
Approaching his 59th birthday in February, Miura expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, stating, “I promise to give everything I have to help the team.”
He also rallied the fans, urging, “Let’s make history together.”
Miura’s professional career began with Santos in Brazil in 1986, and he has since played for clubs in Italy (Genoa), Croatia (Dinamo
Zagreb), and Portugal (Oliveirense).
Since 2022, this marks his fourth loan move from Yokohama FC in the J2 League. In the previous season, he played 69 minutes across seven games for Atletico Suzuka, a fourth-tier club, but did not score and the team faced relegation to regional leagues.
Miura’s international career includes 55 goals in 89 matches for Japan starting from his debut in 1990. However, he was notably excluded from Japan’s squad for their first World Cup in 1998 and retired from international football in 2000.
