<strong>'Let's make history'</strong> - Miura, fifty-eight, moves to a fresh football side.

The legendary Japanese striker, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has agreed to a loan deal until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.

This move means Miura could play in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the initial occasion in five years.

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 fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.

"My love for the game hasn't changed, regardless of my age," he said as he prepares 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 make a contribution. Together, we can create a legacy!"

Known 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 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 surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.

The footballer, who has talked of 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 finished 10th in the twenty-club third division last season.