Tokyo (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Japanese footballer Kazuyoshi Miura signs a new loan agreement with Fukushima United, continuing his record 41st professional football season at 58.
As reported by Kieran Jackson of The Independent, before his 59th birthday, veteran footballer Kazuyoshi Miura has secured a loan agreement with J.League club Fukushima United, extending his record-breaking career in football.
How will Kazuyoshi Miura continue his record-breaking career?
Kazuyoshi Miura, known as “King Kazu” in his homeland, has not featured in Japan’s top three professional football divisions for five years. A loan agreement until June from Yokohama FC of the J2 League has been secured with third-tier Fukushima United.
He plans to continue playing until 60, adding,
“My passion for football hasn’t changed, no matter how old I get.”
Miura said,
“I’m very grateful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with everything I have to make a contribution. Let’s make history together!”
The footballer began his professional career with Brazilian side Santos in 1986 and is now approaching his 41st season as a player. He earned 89 caps for Japan, scoring 55 goals during an international career that ended in 2000.
Miura was omitted from Japan’s squad during the country’s first-ever World Cup, held in France in 1998.
The striker spent last year on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka, failing to score in 69 minutes across several games. His next loan will be his fourth since 2022, and he has not played for his parent club Yokohama FC since 2020.
What inspired Kazuyoshi Miura to chase a football career in Brazil?
In Shizuoka, Kazuyoshi Miura grew up in a family passionate about the sport. His older brother Yasutoshi also became a professional, and their father was a devoted fan.
Miura said,
“My father was in Mexico in 1970 to watch the World Cup. He filmed the matches by 8mm video camera. At that time, Pele was playing, and I grew up watching the video taken by my father.”
At only three in 1970, he was deeply influenced by the home-made video that kept looping over and over.
The former Japan striker added,
“I became a fan of Brazilian football. From the time I was a little boy, I wanted to live as a professional player.”
With his father’s ties to Brazil, the teenage Miura departed Shizuoka at 15 to continue his football journey abroad.
He said,
“At that time there was no J-League [the professional Japanese league that began in 1993]. So there was no way of becoming a professional soccer player in Japan.”
Miura joined Juventus in São Paulo, but the start was difficult. He lived with other young players and spoke very little Portuguese.
He said,
“I couldn’t understand the language, and the customs were different, so naturally I felt lonely. The first three months was really hard.”
Miura continued,
“I don’t have any idea. All I wanted was to be a football player. So this is the hardest question to answer.”
How many games has Kazuyoshi Miura won in his record-breaking career?
Kazuyoshi Miura has won 18 major trophies across a 40-season career. His successes span multiple nations, including four J.League titles, a Croatian top-flight championship, and the OFC Champions League.
He has also won several international honors, including the Asian Cup with Japan in 1992. That same year, he was named Asian Footballer of the Year.