Record-breaking Japan striker 'King Kazu' plays at 58
TOKYO - 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
14 hours ago
- eNCA
Record-breaking Japan striker 'King Kazu' plays at 58
TOKYO - 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.
TimesLIVE
14 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
‘I always knew I would make the squad': Maema savours US ‘adventure' for Sundowns
Neo Maema says he always knew he would make Mamelodi Sundowns' squad for Fifa Club World Cup even after a difficult 2024-25 season because he was among the players that helped the Brazilians qualify. Sundowns open their Group F campaign against South Korea's Ulsan HD at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday night (6pm Orlando time, midnight in South Africa) in Fifa's newly-expanded 32-team Club World Cup. The Pretoria club had something of an awakening at their only other participation in the old seven-team format in Osaka in 2016, being dismantled 2-0 by host Japanese club Kashima Antlers and 4-1 by Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. The new format, rather than watering the standard down, will make for a tougher competition for sides from outside Europe and South America given the presence of most of the world's biggest clubs. Downs' next two assignments after the Ulsan clash are intimidating fixtures against Borussia Dortmund at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday (6pm SA time) and Brazilian outfit Fluminense at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 25 (9pm).
SowetanLIVE
15 hours ago
- SowetanLIVE
PSG sizzle in California sun with big World Cup win, Bayern rout Auckland
Paris St Germain picked up right where they left off in their first match since winning the Champions League last month, turning what was billed as a blockbuster into a 4-0 rout of Atletico Madrid in their 2025 Fifa Club World Cup opener. The midday match, timed to accommodate viewers in Europe, drew 80,619 people to the sun-soaked Rose Bowl in Pasadena — site of the 1994 World Cup final where Brazil beat Italy on penalties — on a day when the toasty conditions led to water breaks in both halves. 'It's the best scheduled time for the European countries, but it's difficult to play in these conditions,' PSG coach Luis Enrique said after the Group B clash. Enrique was encouraged to see the huge turnout, which set an attendance record for PSG and Atletico Madrid this season, according to Fifa. 'It's really great to feel that love in another part of the world,' Enrique said. 'We are happy and we want to continue in that way.'
