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 J3 League club Fukushima United.
The transfer means Miura might feature in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the first time in five years.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with Brazilian side 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 hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," 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 everything I have to help the team. Let's make history together!"
Referred to as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth loan since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.
The veteran, who has also featured in Italy, Croatia and Australia, joined the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He netted 55 goals in 89 games in an career for the national team that concluded in 2000, two years after his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.
The footballer, 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 J3 League last season.
