King Kazu breaks another record — Former Japan forward Kazuyoshi Miura comes on as a player at 59

Kazuyoshi Miura played for a decade for the Samurai Blue, and is one of the three Japanese men’s team players with 50 or more goals for the national team | Photo Credit: AP

Former Japan international Kazuyoshi Miura, also known as ‘King Kazu’, set another record in professional football when he came on as a player in a Japanese league match at almost 60 years of age.

Coming in for Fukushima United in its 4-1 win over FC Ryukyu at the age of ⁠59 years, eight months and 12 days, he became the oldest player to appear in Japan’s third-tier league.

The striker, playing in his 42nd season, returned to the field for his first appearance in a league match since 2021, when he played once in Japan’s top flight for parent club Yokohama FC.

Miura also made six appearances in a shortened special tournament held under the split-season format last season, ⁠although ⁠those matches were not classified as official league games.

The former Japan forward played for a decade for the Samurai Blue, scoring 55 goals. He is one of the three Japanese men’s team players with 50 or more goals for the national team, alongside Shinji Okazaki and Kunishige Kamamoto.