Kazuyoshi Miura simply known as Kazu is a Japanese professional football player who plays for Yokohama in the J1 League as a forward. Presently, he is widely known as the oldest footballer and oldest goalscorer in worldwide professional leagues at the age of 50. He is the oldest active professional footballer in the world at 53. In 1982, he joined Clube Atletico Juventus, a youth club in Sao Paulo. In 1986, he signed his first professional contract with Santos. He also played for several other Brazilian clubs including Palmeiras and Coritiba, until his return to Japan in 1990. In 1990, he joined the Japanese Soccer League side, Verdy Kawasaki. In 1993, he was named the first J.League Most Valuable Player. In the 1994-95 season, he joined Serie A side Genoa on a season-long loan deal and became the first Japanese footballer to play in Italy. He returned to Verdy Kawasaki for the 1995 season and played with them until the end of the 1998 season. In 1999, he made another attempt at playing in Europe with Croatia Zagreb. In the same year, he returned to Japan and joined Kyoto Purple Sanga. After playing two seasons for Kyoto Purple Sanga. In 2001, he joined Vissel Kobe and played with them until the end of 2005. In late 2005, he was loaned to Sydney FC for the A-League for a brief period of time. During his Australian stint, he appeared in four league matches and scored two goals. The same year, he joined Yokohama FC. On 23 September 2020, he started in the J1 League match and became the oldest player to take to the pitch in a J1 League match and the oldest player ever in a football match in the highest national division worldwide.
On the international level, in September 1990, he was named as part of the Japan squad for the 1990 Asian Games and made his debut on September 26. After his debut, he played as a forward until 1997. In February 2000, he played for Japan for the first time in two years. He played his last national team match later that year and finished with the second-most career goals in Japanese national team history with 55 goals in 89 matches.
What is Kazuyoshi Miura Famous For?
- Won the 1987 Campeonato Alagoano with CRB.
- Won the 1989 Campeonato Paranaense with Coritiba.
- Won 1990-91, 1991-92 Japan Soccer League with Verdy Kawasaki.
- Won the 1991 Japan Soccer League Cup with Verdy Kawasaki.
- Won 1993, 1994 J1 League with Verdy Kawasaki.
- Won 1992, 1993 1994 J.League Cup with Verdy Kawasaki.
- Won the 1996 Emperor’s Cup with Verdy Kawasaki.
- Won 1994, 1995 Xerox Super Cup with Verdy Kawasaki.
- Won the 1998-99 Prva HNL with Croatia Zagreb.
- Won the 2006 J2 League with Yokohama.
- Won the 1992 AFC Asian Cup with Japan.
- Won the 1992 IFFHS Asian Player of the Year.
Where is Kazuyoshi Miura From?
Kazuyoshi Miura was born on 26 February 1967. His birthplace is Shizuoka, Japan. He is one of the two children of Naya Nobuo and Yoshika Miura where he grew up with his elder brother Yasutoshi Miura who was also a professional footballer. He holds Japanese nationality. He belongs to the white ethnicity. His horoscope sign is Pisces.
Source: @twitter
Kazuyoshi Miura Football Career Timeline
- In 1982, at the age of fifteen, he traveled alone to Brazil to become a professional footballer there.
- In 1982, he joined Clube Atletico Juventus, a youth club in Sao Paulo.
- In 1986, he signed his first professional contract with Santos. He has played for several other Brazilian clubs including Palmeiras and Coritiba, until his return to Japan in 1990. There he has won the 1987 Campeonato Alagoano with CRB and 1989 Campeonato Paranaense with Coritiba.
- In 1990, he joined the Japanese Soccer League side Yomiuri SC, which later spun off from its parent company Yomiuri Shinbun and become Verdy Kawasaki with the launch of J1 League in 1993.
- In 1993, he was named the first J.League Most Valuable Player.
- In the 1994-95 season, he joined Serie A side Genoa on a season-long loan deal and became the first Japanese footballer to play in Italy. In his Italian stint, he played 21 times and scored one goal.
- He returned to Verdy Kawasaki for the 1995 season and played with them until the end of the 1998 season. From 1990-1998, he made 192 appearances and scored 100 for them. With Yomiuri/Kawasaki, he won the two Japan Soccer League (1990-91, 1991-92), J1 League (1993, 1994), Xerox Super Cup (1994, 1995), one Japan Soccer League Cup (1991), Emperor’s Cup (1996) and three J.League Cup (1992, 1993 1994).
Source: @twitter
- In 1999, he made another attempt at playing in Europe with Croatia Zagreb, where he won the 1998-99 Prva HNL with the club.
- In the same year 1999, he returned to Japan and joined Kyoto Purple Sanga. He played there for two seasons. He scored 21 goals in his 41 appearances for the team.
- In 2001, he joined Vissel Kobe and played with them until the end of 2005. He scored 24 goals in his 103 appearances for the team.
- In late 2005, he was loaned to Sydney FC for the A-League for a brief period of time. During his Australian stint, he appeared in four league matches and scored two goals.
- In the same year 2005, he joined Yokohama FC.
- In 2007, Miura was selected for the 2007 J.League All-Star Soccer for J-East and played exceptionally well.
- In November 2015, he signed a new one-year contract with Yokohama FC at the age of 48.
- In January 2017, Miura signed another new one-year contract with Yokohama, taking his professional career into his fifties.
Source: @bleacherreport
- On 5 March 2017, he became the oldest ever player to feature in a professional match when he started in Yokohama’s 1-1 draw against V-Varen Nagasaki. With 50 years and seven days, he surpassed the previous record held by Stanley Matthews from 1965 by two days. Seven days later, he broke Matthews’ record for the oldest goalscorer in professional football when he struck the only goal of a 1-0 win over Thespakusatsu Gunma.
- In January 2018, he signed a new contract and renewed it again in January 2019, and January 2020.
- On 5 August 2020, he started in a J.League match against Sagan Tosu, becoming the oldest player to take to the pitch in Japan’s league cup competition, at the age of 53 years, 5 months, and 10 days. With this, he surpassed the previous record of 42 years, 10 months set in 2017 by Yukio Tsuchiya.
- On 23 September 2020, he started in the J1 League match against Kawasaki Frontale and became the oldest player to take to the pitch in a J1 League match and the oldest player ever in a football match in the highest national division worldwide.
Source: @the-afc
Kazuyoshi Miura International Career
- In September 1990, he was named as part of the Japan squad for the 1990 Asian Games and made his debut against Bangladesh on September 26.
- In 1992, he played at the 1992 Asian Cup, which Japan went on to win.
- In 1993, he played thirteen games and scored thirteen goals in the 1994 World Cup qualification but failed to qualify.
- He also played at the 1994 Asian Games, the 1995 King Fahd Cup, and the 1996 Asian Cup.
- From 1990, he played as a forward until 1997.
- In February 2000, he played for Japan for the first time in two years. He played his last national team match later that year and finished with the second-most career goals in Japanese national team history with 55 goals in 89 matches.
- In 2012, he made his debut for the Japan futsal team in a 3-3 draw against Brazil. In his second appearance with the futsal team, he scored his first goal in a 3-1 win over Ukraine.
- In the 2012 Futsal World Cup, he appeared in all four matches for Japan but failed to score as the Japanese were knocked out by Ukraine in the round of 16.
Source: @ameblo
Kazuyoshi Miura Wife and Children
Looking at his personal life, Kazuyoshi Miura is a married man. He got married to popular Japanese mass-media personality Risako Miura in 1993. The couple was blessed with two children Ryota Miura and Miura Kota. They are living happily together.
McKinnie Height
Kazuyoshi Miura at a height of 1.77m i.e. 5 feet and 9 inches tall. He has a bodyweight of 72kg. He has an athletic body build. His eye and hair color is light brown. His sexual orientation is straight.
Kazuyoshi Miura Salary and Net Worth
Kazuyoshi Miura earns from his professional career as a football player. His income is from contracts, salaries, bonuses, and endorsements. His net worth is around $1 million- $5 million and his salary is not revealed yet. Any updates on his salary will be updated here.
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