Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is the world's oldest professional footballer, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura could play in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of football in Japan - for the first time in five years.
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 fourth-tier club 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 given this opportunity. I promise I will play with all my heart 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.
The veteran, who has also played club football in Australia, Italy, and Croatia, joined the club in 2005 but has remained absent from the pitch for them since 2020.
He scored 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that ended in 2000, two years after his notable omission from the squad for Japan's first World Cup finals appearance.
The footballer, who has expressed a desire for playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "take on a new challenge" after being demoted last season to Japan's regional leagues.
Fukushima United finished 10th in the twenty-club third division last season.
