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 could play in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of football in Japan - for the first time in half a decade.
The former Japan striker, 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 fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game remains undimmed, regardless of my age," he said as he prepares for a 41st season as a professional footballer.
"I am truly thankful 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 J2 League side Yokohama FC.
The veteran, who has also played club football in Italy, Croatia and Australia, 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 international career that ended 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 ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club third division last season.
