Japanese legend Kazu Miura, the world’s oldest professional footballer, has returned to Japan to play for fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka on loan. Play sports at 789bet
Miura spent last season on loan at Portuguese second division club Oliveirense from Yokohama FC, where he did not score in six appearances totaling 45 minutes. Prior to that, he had played for numerous clubs around the world, including Palmeiras, Genoa, Dinamo Zagreb, and Vissel Kobe.
Miura, who turned 57 on February 23, said at a press conference on June 25 that he has no plans to retire and that Atletico Suzuka is the best place for him to continue his passion for football. The 57-year-old striker emphasized that the most important factor in the negotiations was playing time, even though he acknowledged that this is difficult to guarantee.
“But when considering the options, Suzuka was the best choice for me to play,” Miura added. “I think that was the biggest deciding factor. I’m 57 years old, a bit old compared to other players. I’m often told to play like an old man, but regardless of my age, I don’t want to play like that.”
In two seasons with Oliveirense, Miura played nine matches with 74 minutes and did not score. The last time Miura scored in a professional league was in 2022 when he was 55, with two goals in 18 games for Suzuka Point Getters in Japan’s fourth tier. The last time he scored in the J-League system was in 2017, with one goal in 12 games for Yokohama FC.
Born in 1967, Kazuyoshi Miura is a legendary Japanese footballer who rose to prominence in the 1990s. He was discovered in Japan’s school football system and played in Brazil before returning home to lay the foundation for the J-League’s development in 1993. He helped Verdy Kawasaki win the first two seasons.
He became the first Japanese player to play in Serie A, with Genoa in 1994, but only scored one goal in 21 appearances. Miura also played for Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia in the first half of 1999, where he did not score. He spent the rest of his career playing in Japan, mainly for Yokohama.
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Miura’s non-selection by manager Takeshi Okada for the 1998 World Cup drew heavy criticism from the public. This was Japan’s first World Cup finals appearance, and Miura had been a key player in Japan’s victory in the 1992 Asian Cup. In total, Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances for the Japanese national team from 1990 to 2000.
Miura holds the record for the oldest player to score in the J-League and has the world’s longest career, spanning 39 years to date. He is considered Japan’s first superstar, having won the Asian Player of the Year award in 1992, a year before the J-League was launched.
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