In his 38th season as a professional player, Miura came into overtime when his team was ahead of Academician de Vizio 4-1.
Japanese striker Kazuyoshi Miura continued writing history when he made his debut with Portuguese club Oliverense on Saturday at the age of fifty-six.
The former international soccer player joined the Portuguese club last February on loan until the end of the season from Yokohama FC, in search of new football challenges.
And in his 38th season as a professional player, Miura entered in overtime when his team was ahead of Academician de Vizio 4-1.
According to the Portuguese League website, Miura became “the oldest player to participate in Portuguese football” at the age of 56 years, one month and 24 days.
He is tested playing in the sixth country after Brazil, Japan, Italy, Croatia and Australia.
The biggest Japanese player
Miura, who is called “King Kazuo” in his country, began his professional career in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos.
He played last season in the ranks of the local Suzuka Point Jetters club in the fourth division, which is supervised by his older brother Yasutoshi, on loan from Yokohama FC.
The parent company of Yokohama FC acquired the majority stake in Oliverense in November.
In 2020, Miura became the oldest Japanese player in the first division in history at the age of 53 years and nine months, and before that in 2017 he became the oldest player to score in a professional match, surpassing English legend Stanley Matthews.
And in September 2020, he also became the oldest player to start a match in the first division.
first appearance
Miura, who received his training in Brazil since he was fifteen years old, appeared for the first time with Santos in 1986, before joining other Brazilian clubs, including Palmeiras.
The player returned to Japan in 1990 to defend the colors of the Yomiuri club, which later became Verdy Kawasaki, and won four league titles from 1991 to 1994. The following season he moved to Italian Genoa on loan.
Despite scoring 55 goals in 89 international matches with the Japanese national team between 1990 and 2000, Miura was not selected for the 1998 World Cup squad in France due to a dispute with the coach, which is the biggest disappointment in his football career.
He was one of the most popular soccer players in Asia in the 1990s, and he helped put the game in Japan on the map when the J-League was launched in 1993.
