Tokyo: He turns 59 in February, and the globe’s oldest professional soccer player has a new club as he gets set for his 41st season. This is, of course, Kazuyoshi Miura, who is known in Japan as ‘King Kazu.’ Miura announced his signing this week with third-division J-League team Fukushima United. He is moving on loan from Yokohama FC and spent last season on loan with fourth-division club Atletico Suzuka. He failed to score in seven matches with Suzuka.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Miura has played professionally in Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia, and Portugal. And, of course, in Japan. He made his debut in 1986 with Santos in Brazil, a club made famous by Brazilian star Pel©. In 2017, at age 50, he became the oldest player to score in a professional match, surpassing the record held by highly decorated England international Stanley Matthews.

Miura was one of the first big names in Japanese soccer. He scored 55 goals in 89 appearances and was a star with Japan’s national team in the 1990s.