World’s oldest professional footballer Kazuyoshi Miura, 53, signs new contract
Japanese footballer and the world’s oldest professional footballer, Kazuyoshi Miura, has signed a new deal with his club which sees him play past his next birthday when he will turn 54.
‘King Kazu’, as he is fondly called, the oldest goalscorer in Japanese professional football, will see off his 17th season with the club and the 36th overall in his marvelous career.
Miura turns 54 on February 26, the day before the J1 League campaign is due to get underway.
Last September, he became the oldest player in the top-flight’s history against Kawasaki Frontale at the age of 53 years and 210 days – he went on to make additional three appearances that season.
Miura holds the records for the oldest footballer and oldest goalscorer in worldwide professional leagues at the age of 50. Also, as of 2020, he remains the oldest active professional footballer in the world at 53.
He also holds the possibly unique distinction of having played professional football in five separate decades (1980s-2020s).
In a statement released via the club, Miura said his “hopes and passion for football are only increasing” despite making only seven league appearances in the past two years.
“Last season, I was feeling the joy of playing football at a time when the world was facing a tough situation because of the new coronavirus,” he said.
Miura has scored 55 goals in 89 international appearances for Japan and won the Asian Cup in 1992.
He has played for Genoa, Dinamo Zagreb and Sydney FC.
He joins the likes of Kunishige Kamamoto and Shinji Okazaki, as the only men to score more than 50 goals for Japan.
Leave a Reply