Kazuyoshi Miura

Kazuyoshi "Kazu" Miura (三浦 知良, Miura Kazuyoshi; born 26 February 1967), nicknamed King Kazu, is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for J3 League club Fukushima United, on loan from J2 League club Yokohama FC. He is the world's third oldest active player, oldest among active top-level players, and oldest to score in a professional match.

He played for the Japan national team from 1990 to 2000, and was the first Japanese recipient of the IFFHS Asia's Footballer of the Year award. With 55 goals in 89 caps for the national team, Miura is second most prolific goalscorer in the national team's history, behind Kunishige Kamamoto.

Miura holds the records for being the oldest active goalscorer in the J-League, the footballer with the world's longest professional career, and, as of 2026, is the third oldest professional footballer in the world at 58. He also holds the distinction of having played professional football in five separate decades (1980s–2020s). His elder brother Yasutoshi is a former professional footballer.

Club career

Early career

In 1982, Miura left the Shizuoka Gakuen High School after less than a year, and travelled alone to Brazil at the age of fifteen to become a professional footballer there. He signed with the youth squad of São Paulo side Juventus, and in 1986, Miura signed his first professional contract with Santos. He played for several other Brazilian clubs, including Palmeiras and Coritiba, until his return to Japan in 1990.