Kazuyoshi Miura, who turns 59 in February and is the world's oldest professional footballer, has signed a temporary transfer until June with Japanese third division side Fukushima United.
This move means Miura might feature in the J.League - the top three divisions of Japanese football - for the first time in five years.
The ex-international forward, who began his professional journey with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, failed to score in just over an hour across seven appearances last season while on loan at JFL side Atletico Suzuka.
"My love for the game hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," 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 help the team. Together, we can create a legacy!"
Known as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth loan since 2022 from J2 League side Yokohama FC.
The veteran, who has also played club football in Italy, Croatia and Australia, signed for 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.
Miura, who has expressed a desire for playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "embrace a fresh test" after being relegated last season to the country's lower regional divisions.
Fukushima ended the season in tenth place in the twenty-club J3 League last season.
