JAKARTA - Kazuyoshi Miura, who is the oldest scorer in Japanese football, will soon be playing at the age of 54 after extending his contract with Yokohama FC for one season.
Miura, who is nicknamed 'Raju Kazu' in Japan, will turn 54 years old on February 26 or the day before the kickoff for the new J.League 2021 season. The match will kick off his 17th season with the club he has played for since 2005.
The former Japanese striker scored against Thespakusatsu Gunma in 2017 in Japan's second division to become the oldest footballer in Japanese professional football to score at the age of 50 years and 14 days.
Launched Antara, Monday, January 11, the 2021 season will be Miura's 36th season as a professional player after starting his career with Santos in Brazil in 1986.
The striker is one of the most respected sportsmen in Japan and was at the forefront of Japan's soccer boom in the early 1990s when he became the emblem of the Japanese league when it was launched in 1993.
He led Verdy Kawasaki to win the league in 1993 and 1994 before moving to Italy for a season with Serie A club Genoa. He also had time to travel to Croatia and Australia, in addition to defending a number of Japanese clubs.
Miura also won the Asian Cup with Japan in 1992, but missed representing his country on the country's debut at the World Cup finals in France six years after that. He scored 55 goals during 89 matches to defend Japan.
The striker led Yokohama to promotion to the Japanese premier league at the end of the 2019 season but only played four matches during the 2020 season.
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