SOCCER: Japan great Miura, 58, joins new club to 'make history'

Japanese soccer great Kazuyoshi Miura, 58, has signed a new loan deal with Japanese third-division side Fukushima United, setting him up for his 41st season as a professional footballer.

Known as "King Kazu," Miura will also be playing his first season in five years in the top three divisions of Japanese football.

"My passion for football hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," said Miura, who will turn 59 in February. "I'm very grateful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Let's make history together."

The forward began his professional career in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos and later played for several European clubs, including Genoa in Italy, Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, and Oliveirense in Portugal.

This will be Miura's fourth loan spell since 2022 from J2 League side Yokohama FC. Last season, he went goalless, playing a total of 69 minutes across seven games for fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka, which was relegated to Japan's regional leagues.

Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances for Japan after making his international debut in 1990. He was famously dropped from the national squad for Japan's first World Cup appearance in 1998 and retired from international football in 2000. -Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Jan Harvey/Reuters