<strong>We can create history'</strong> - Kazuyoshi Miura, 58, joins a fresh football side.
Kazuyoshi Miura, who turns 59 in February and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has finalized a loan deal until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura might feature in the J.League - the top three divisions of football in Japan - for the first time in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, failed to score 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, regardless of my age," he said as he prepares for a forty-first campaign as a pro footballer.
"I am truly thankful 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 temporary move since 2022 from second division club 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 netted 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that ended in 2000, two years after his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
Miura, who has expressed a desire for 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 ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.