Age is just a number that is what Kazuyoshi Miura has taught everybody. Today we celebrate the 57th birthday of the Japanese professional footballer. Miura has played in 15 clubs and at the age of 57 he is still going strong playing for Liga Portugal 2 club Oliveirense. He first joined Oliveirense in January on loan from Yokohama FC of the J1 League. He made his Liga Portugal 2 debut against Academico de Viseu, winning 4-1. He was named man of the match in the season's last league game against Leixoes, in which he played the final 20 minutes and helped his side win 4-3.
Miura is a superstar in Japan, and he got the opportunity to perform with Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe during Paris Saint-Germain's Japan tour in 2022. He even placed the match ball at the halfway line before PSG's pre-season friendly against Kawasaki Frontale at National Stadium on July 20, 2022.
Miura is in his 39th season as a professional and has played for several clubs throughout the world, including Palmeiras, Genoa, Dinamo Zagreb, and Vissel Kobe. Portugal is the sixth country in which he has played since his debut with Santos in 1986. The striker, nicknamed "King Kazu" by supporters, made 89 appearances for Japan, won the Asian Cup in 1992, and is the country's second-highest all-time goal scorer with 55. His final international appearance came in 2000.
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AdvertisementWhy is Kazuyoshi Miura called “King Kazu”?
Before Mitoma Kaoru, Kubo Takefusa, Ono Shinji, and Nakata Hidetoshi, there was Miura, Japan's first great sports star. This is why he is known as "King Kazu," and his legacy will endure. Miura, who is in his 39th professional season, is now in Portugal after visiting Brazil, Italy, Croatia, and Australia previously. When he began playing professionally for Brazil's Santos, the majority of his teammates were not yet born.
The one thing he hasn't done in his four-decade career is play in a FIFA World Cup, with his exclusion from the France 1998 squad sparking a national uproar. Miura's loan to Oliveirense has undoubtedly been facilitated by the fact that the team's Japanese owners also control the J.League club Yokohama FC, with whom he is under contract.
But nobody in Japan is laughing at Miura. He's not doing this for the spotlight or the money, which he has plenty of. And he's not interested in management or any other position. Miura does it for the love of the game, which should be seen with the utmost respect.
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