Football: Japan's oldest pro footballer Miura to play in Portugal

Fifty-five-year-old Kazuyoshi "King Kazu" Miura will play in Portuguese football's second division for Oliveirense on a loan deal from J-League first-division side Yokohama FC, the teams announced jointly Wednesday.

"I'm going to make an effort so that people will be able see me playing my kind of football, even in new surroundings," Miura said in a statement.

Miura, who last season played for Suzuka Point Getters in the fourth-tier Japan Football League on loan from Yokohama FC, will join Oliveirense until the summer.

The Portuguese club shares a parent company with Yokohama FC, who earned promotion from Japan's second division last season.

The latest move by the former Japan international, now in his 38th year as a professional, will see him play in a fifth foreign country following stints in Brazil, Italy, Croatia and Australia.

Miura, who is both Japan's oldest-ever professional player and goal scorer, is reported to have also had offers from J2 and J3 clubs in addition to Suzuka.

© Kyodo News