Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has signed a loan deal until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura might feature in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in five years.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, did not find the net in 69 minutes across seven appearances last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My passion for football hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a pro footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with everything I have to help the team. Together, we can create a legacy!"
Referred to as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth loan since 2022 from second division club 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 scored 55 goals in 89 games in an career for the national team that concluded in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
The footballer, who has talked of continuing his career into his seventh decade, said he was ready to "take on a new challenge" after being demoted last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima United finished 10th in the twenty-club J3 League last season.
