TOKYO — Age continues to defy Kazuyoshi Miura.
Turning 59 this February, Miura, widely known in Japan as “King Kazu,” is set to embark on his record 41st professional season after signing with third-division J-League club Fukushima United on loan from Yokohama FC.
The move was announced this week, marking another chapter in a career that has spanned four decades, multiple continents, and generations of football fans. Miura spent the 2025 season on loan with fourth-division side Atletico Suzuka, where he made seven appearances but did not score.
Despite limited minutes in recent seasons, Miura’s continued presence in professional football remains unmatched. He holds the distinction of being the oldest active professional footballer in the world, a title he has carried for several years as he continues to renew short-term contracts and accept loan stints.
Miura’s journey began far from home. He made his professional debut in 1986 with Santos FC in Brazil, the legendary club once headlined by Pelé, after moving abroad as a teenager to pursue his football dream. His career later took him to Italy, Croatia, Australia, and Portugal, before he became a central figure in the rise of Japanese football.
When the J-League was launched in 1993, Miura emerged as one of its first superstars, helping popularize the sport in Japan at a time when baseball dominated the national spotlight. He scored 55 goals in 89 appearances for the Japan national team during the 1990s and became a symbol of the country’s growing football identity, even though he was controversially left out of Japan’s squad for the 1998 World Cup.
In 2017, at age 50, Miura set a global milestone by becoming the oldest player to score in a professional match, surpassing a long-standing record held by England legend Stanley Matthews.
While Miura’s role today is largely symbolic and mentoring in nature, his influence endures. Coaches and teammates have repeatedly cited his professionalism, training discipline, and passion for the game as invaluable to younger squads.
As he joins Fukushima United for another season, Miura continues to challenge conventional limits of age in elite sport, proving that, for “King Kazu,” retirement remains a distant idea.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
