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Topics: Kazuyoshi Miura, Japan
Josh Lawless
Topics: Kazuyoshi Miura, Japan
Kazuyoshi Miura, the world's oldest professional footballer, is to continue playing for another year after signing for a new club.
Miura turns 55 in February but is proving age is really just a number after penning a deal with Suzuka Point Getters, who are managed by his older brother Yasutoshi.
'King Kazu' has joined the club on a loan deal from Yokohama FC.
He only managed a single minute for the club last term as they were relegated from the Japanese top flight.
But his very brief cameo vs Urawa Reds in March, at the age of 54 years and 12 days, saw him make further history as the oldest active player.
Miura made his debut back in 1986 when Lionel Richie was at No.1 in the charts and has had a decorated career spanning five decades.
Born in 1967, he's three years older than Paris Saint-Germain and the same age as Jurgen Klopp.
The original poster boy for the J-League, a competition which he is also the oldest ever scorer in, Miura scored 55 goals in 89 games for Japan.
The former Asian Footballer of the Year turned out for Verdy Kawasaki from 1990 to 1998 and made 192 appearances for the club, scoring 117 times.
One of his other longest stints came when he played Vissel Kobe from 2001 to 2005, making 127 appearances and notching 29 goals.
The well-travelled forward also represented Santos, Genoa, Dinamo Zagreb, Sydney FC, Palmeiras, XV de Jaú and Coritiba and is the only player from the FIFA 96 game to still be playing.
The latest move will see Miura play his 37th season and it's said he plans on playing until he is 60.
Commenting on the news, he said: “I am grateful for the opportunity to play here and will do my best to contribute to the club on the pitch.”