<strong>Together, let's create a legacy'</strong> - Kazuyoshi Miura, 58, moves to a fresh team.
Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is the world's oldest professional footballer, has agreed to a loan deal until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
This move means Miura could play in the J.League - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, did not find the net in just over an hour across seven outings last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game remains undimmed, no matter how old I get," he said as he prepares for a forty-first campaign as a pro footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be presented with this chance. I promise I will play with everything I have to help the team. Together, we can create a legacy!"
Known as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth temporary move since 2022 from J2 League side Yokohama FC.
The veteran, who has also featured in Italy, Croatia and Australia, signed for the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He scored 55 goals in 89 games in an career for the national team that concluded in 2000, shortly following his notable omission from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
The footballer, who has talked of playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "embrace a fresh test" after being demoted last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.
