World’s Oldest Footballer Joins New Club At 58

Japanese striker Kazuyoshi Miura, the oldest professional football player in the world, has joined third division J.League side Fukushima United FC.

Miura is still going strong at the age of 58 and is set to embark on his fourth loan in as many years from Yokohama FC.

He will turn 59 in February, one month into his spell at Fukushima.

Known as “King Kazu” in Japan, Miura has also enjoyed spells in Australia and Europe in his career playing for Genoa and Dinamo Zagreb before the turn of the century.

He started out at Santos and then Palmeiras in the Brazilian Serie A in 1986, the year of Premier League mainstay James Milner’s birth.

Miura revealed that his passion for football will never change despite his age.

He said: “My passion for soccer will never change, even as I get older. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to play in Fukushima, and I look forward to competing with passion as a member of Fukushima United FC. Let’s build a new history together!”

Miura spent last season with fourth-tier Atletico Suzuka, making seven appearances as the team were relegated to Japan’s regional leagues after finishing second-bottom of the table and losing a playoff.

His move to Fukushima sees him return to the J. League — the top three divisions of Japanese football — for the first time in five years.

Miura scored 55 goals in 89 games in an international career that ended in 2000.

He is the world’s oldest professional footballer at the age of 58.