Background and career
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 oldest professional player. In addition, he is one of the few players to have made over 1,050 career appearances and the first Japanese player to achieve the feat.
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 the second most prolific goalscorer in the national team's history, behind Kunishige Kamamoto.
Miura holds the records for being the oldest goalscorer in J-League history at 50, the footballer with the world's longest professional career, and, as of 2026, is the oldest professional footballer in the world at 59. 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.
