Kazuyoshi Miura, who is widely recognised as the world’s oldest professional footballer, has signed for a new club aged 58.
Miura, who was born in 1967, made his senior debut for Brazil’s Santos back in 1986, having moved to the South American nation with the dream of becoming a professional footballer when he was 15.
For context, Sir Alex Ferguson had just become Manchester United manager, while Sir Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool completed a Division One and FA Cup double during the 1985/86 campaign, having pipped Merseyside rivals Everton to the title as well as beating them 3-1 in the FA Cup final. Ukrainian striker Igor Belanov won the Ballon d’Or that year.
Miura also featured for Palmeiras, Matsubara and CRB before enjoying stints at XV de Jau and Coritiba, before returning to Santos until he found a home at Tokyo’s Verdy Kawasaki in 1990.
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The forward remained with the Japanese outfit for eight years scoring 110 goals in 187 appearances. During this period, he was a regular for the Japan national team, scoring 55 goals in 89 appearances.
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1992 was a particularly successful year for Miura as he helped Japan win the AFC Asian Cup and was named Asian Footballer of the Year.
The 58-year-old has also represented Japanese side Yokohama, for whom he featured 298 times, as well as Vissel Kobe, Kyoto Sanga and Atletico Suzuka while also turning out for Genoa and Sydney FC.
And despite making his debut 39 years ago, ‘King Kazu’, who spent last season playing fourth-tier football for Atletico Suzuka, is set to continue playing.
The soon-to-be-59-year-old striker is set to join third-division side Fukushima United on a year-long loan from Suzuka, according to The Japan Times.
The move has not been officially announced, but most of Miura’s recent transfers/loans have been announced at 11:11am on January 11 as a nod to the star’s shirt number.
So how does he continue to compete as his seventh decade approaches?
Well, the forward focuses on his body composition and regularly monitors his weight and fat percentage while also eating high-protein, low-fat foods.
After training, he has also been known to sit in an ice bath and drink carbonated water from Italy.
Speaking to L’Equipe in 2024, Miura revealed he’d still like to be playing at the age of 80.
"The secret is nothing more than hard work and passion," he said.
"I want to keep playing until my body says enough.”
Miura has already broken most age-related records, with most professional footballers retiring in their mid-thirties.
Topics: Kazuyoshi Miura, Football, Japan, Football News
Luke Davies