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.
This move means Miura might feature in the Japanese professional league - the top three divisions of football in Japan - for the initial occasion in five years.
The ex-international forward, who started his career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986, failed to score in just over an hour across seven appearances last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game hasn't changed, regardless of my age," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a professional footballer.
"I am truly thankful to be given this opportunity. I vow 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 temporary move since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.
Miura, who has also featured in Australia, Italy, and Croatia, signed for the club in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
He scored 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 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 the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima finished 10th in the 20-team J3 League last season.
