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Kazuyoshi Miura, set to turn 59 next month and is recognized globally as football's most senior pro, has agreed to a temporary transfer until June with J3 League club Fukushima United.

This move means Miura might feature in the J.League - encompassing the highest tiers of Japanese football - for the first time in half a decade.

The former Japan striker, who started his career with the Brazilian club Santos in 1986, failed to score in 69 minutes across seven outings last season while on loan at fourth-tier club Atletico Suzuka.

"My love for the game hasn't changed, no matter how old I get," he said as he gears up for a forty-first campaign as a professional footballer.

"I am truly thankful to be given this opportunity. I promise I will play with all my heart to help the team. Together, we can create a legacy!"

Referred to as 'King Kazu' in Japan, this will be Miura's fourth temporary move since 2022 from second division club Yokohama FC.

Miura, who has also featured in Italy, Croatia and Australia, joined the club in 2005 but has remained absent from the pitch for them since 2020.

He scored 55 goals in 89 games in an career for the national team that ended in 2000, shortly following his surprising exclusion from the squad for Japan's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign.

Miura, who has expressed a desire for playing until he is 60, said he was ready to "take on a new challenge" after being relegated last season to the country's lower regional divisions.

Fukushima finished 10th in the twenty-club J3 League last season.