59 years, 8 months, 12 days… ‘60th J-League’ Miura breaks record for oldest player
He holds the record for being the oldest player in all J1, J2, and J3 leagues at 59 years, 8 months, and 12 days.
Quick Look
- Kazuyoshi Miura (Fukushima United), a living legend of Japanese soccer, set a new record for the oldest player to play at 59 years, 8 months, and 12 days by appearing as a substitute in the J3 League match against FC Ryukyu.
- He holds the record for being the oldest player in all J1, J2, and J3 leagues.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Kazuyoshi Miura was born in February 1967. He dropped out of high school in 1982 at the age of 15 and went to Brazil to study soccer, making his debut at Santos in 1986. Since then, he has continued his career as a professional athlete for 40 years. During his time at Yokohama FC, he already set the record for the oldest player to play in the J1 League (54 years, 12 days) and J2 League (52 years, 8 months, 29 days).
Kazuyoshi Miura (Fukushima United), a living legend of Japanese soccer who will celebrate his 60th birthday next February, has set a new record for being the oldest player to play in the Japanese professional soccer J-League.
Miura wore the captain's armband and was brought on as a substitute in the home game against FC Ryukyu in the 16th round of the J3 League (3rd division) held in Fukushima, Japan on the 7th, in extra time in the second half when Fukushima was ahead 4-1.
With this, Miura, born in February 1967, broke the record for the oldest player to play in the J3 League at 59 years, 8 months, and 12 days.
In 2024, Azul Claro Numazu's midfielder Teruyoshi Ito, born in 1974, has surpassed the previous record (50 years, 2 months, 24 days).
Miura, who had already set the oldest playing record in the J1 League (1st Division) at 54 years, 12 days and the J2 League (2nd Division) at the age of 52 years, 8 months, and 29 days while playing for Yokohama FC, now holds the oldest playing record in all J1, J2, and J3 leagues.
This day’s game was Miura’s official debut in the J3 League.
Miura transferred from J2 League Yokohama FC to Fukushima on a six-month loan in January of this year, and the loan period was later extended until the end of June 2027.
The J-League switched to the 'Chuncheon Festival', which starts the season in the fall and ends in the spring of the following year, and opened the 2026-2027 season. As there was a gap in the league in the first half of this year, a special competition was held from February to June under the name of the 'J-League Centenary League'.
Miura played in 6 games in the Centenary League, but his performance in this competition is not reflected in the official J-League records.
Miura's last official J-League appearance was about 5 years and 8 months after the Urawa Reds match on March 10, 2021 (then 54 years and 12 days old) during his time with J1 Yokohama FC.
Miura is the oldest player to play in the J-League and also holds the record for scoring.
In March 2017, when he was playing for Yokohama FC in the J2 League, he set the league's oldest scoring record at 50 years and 14 days.
Miura scored two goals in a match against Oyama Soccer Club in the first round of the Emperor's Cup held last August, setting the record for the oldest scorer in the tournament (59 years, 5 months, 24 days).
Miura, nicknamed 'King Gaz', dropped out of high school in 1982 at the age of 15 and went to Brazil to study soccer. He debuted at Santos in 1986 and has been a professional player for 40 years.
Open Questions
- Will Miura continue to play for Fukushima or have any plans to retire?
- Are there any plans for additional appearances in the J3 League?
