Tokyo, Jun 26 (AP) Kazuyoshi Miura was matter-of-fact about it this week when he joined Japanese club Atletico Suzuka.

“I'm at quite an age," he said in a Tokyo news conference.

Also Read | What Happens if India vs England ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Semifinal Match Is Washed Out Due to Rain in Guyana? Who Will Qualify for Final?.

Yes he is.

Miura is 57, and the former Japanese international is still playing after most of his contemporaries have been out of the game for decades.

Also Read | AIFF Trying To Mislead People, Says Ex-Legal Head Nilanjan Bhattacharya on Igor Stimac Contract Row.

Simply known as “King Kazu,” he is joining the fourth-tier Japanese club on loan from second-division team FC Yokohama. He returns to Japan and the same Suzuka club after playing for two seasons on loan with second-division Portuguese team Oliveirense, where he played sparingly and failed to score.

Miura scored two goals in his first stint with the Suzuka club in 2022 before leaving for Portugal.

Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearance and was a star with Japan's national team in the 1990s.

“Retiring isn't an option. I want to play as many minutes as I can in games,” Miura said this week at a news conference, quoted by Japanese news agency Kyodo.

Miura has played professionally in Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. He made his debut in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos, a side made famous by Brazilian star Pele. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)