TOKYO, June 16: The record-breaking striker Kazuyoshi Miura played in Japan’s fourth tier aged 58 for his 40th season as a professional footballer.
Former international Miura, fondly known as “King Kazu”, is the oldest professional in Japan and almost certainly beyond.
He came on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Atletico Suzuka Club on Sunday and helped them seal a 2-1 win in the Japan Football League.
Miura, one of Asia’s best-known footballers in the 1990s, did not score but told reporters he was “glad I was able to contribute” after his cameo aged 58 years and 109 days.
“Thanks to help from my teammates and trainers, I’ve been able to make it this far. Now I want to raise my game even more,” said.
Miura returned to Japan last year after two seasons with Portuguese second-division outfit Oliveirense, where he made nine appearances on loan from Yokohama FC.
He made his debut in 1986 with Brazilian side Santos and has also played in Italy, Croatia and Australia.
The forward helped put football in Japan on the map when the professional J-League was launched in 1993.
He made his Japan debut in 1990 but was famously left out of the squad for their first World Cup finals appearance in 1998, despite scoring 55 goals in 89 games for the national side. – TVS
