The legacy of the world's longest-serving professional footballer (2021) 1:43
(CNN) --
The legend of "King Kazu" took a new turn when Kazuyoshi Miura joined Portuguese second division side Oliveirense on loan from J-League side Yokohama FC, just a month shy of his 56th birthday.
The former Japan international will enter his 38th season as a professional footballer in a sixth country, having previously played in Brazil, Japan, Italy, Croatia and Australia.
Kazuyoshi Miura playing for Japan at the 1994 Asian Games. (Mike Powell/Getty Images North America/Getty Images)
“I will do my best so that people can see me play my football, even in a new environment,” Miura said in a statement.
It is another chapter in an extraordinary career that began professionally in 1986, a year before the great Lionel Messi was born.
Miura began his career with the Brazilian club Santos because Japan did not have a professional league at the time.
He spent four years in Brazil, playing for six clubs, including Santos and Palmeiras.
However, “King Kazu” would return to his home country to become the face of the J-League when it launched in 1993, leading Verdy Kawasaki to back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1994.
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Miura spent a loan spell with Serie A side Genoa in 1994, becoming the first Japanese player to play in the Italian top division.
He scored 55 goals in 89 games for the Japan national team, making him the second all-time top scorer for the blue samurai.
He retired in 2000 from the national team, but has continued to play professionally for another two decades, and it looks like he won't be stopping anytime soon.
After joining Yokohama FC in 2005, he has remained with the club, or been on loan, ever since, making this his 19th season with the team.
Miura spent 2022 at Suzuka Point Getters, a club run by his brother, in the fourth tier of Japanese soccer.
During his time there, he scored twice in 18 games.
In 2017, he became the oldest player to score in a professional match when he netted against Thespakusatsu Gunma in Japan's second division at 50 years and 14 days.
He also helped Yokohama secure promotion to Japan's top division at the end of the 2019 season.
Kazuyoshi Miura