Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has finalized a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.
This move means Miura might feature in the Japanese professional league - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in half a decade.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, did not find the net in 69 minutes across seven appearances last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My passion for football hasn't changed, regardless of my age," he said as he gears up for a 41st season as a professional footballer.
"I'm very grateful to be presented with this chance. I vow I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. 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 international career that ended in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
The footballer, who has expressed a desire for 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 ended the season in tenth place in the 20-team third division last season.
