Playing football professionally is usually what all young kids dream at some stage of their life. Although 99.8% of people who carry on that dream actually turn to play professional football, there are still people who do. Most typically, professional football players are in their prime during their younger years (22-28) but in some cases – age is only a number. Kazuyoshi Miura is a pure example of this, at 54 years of age he plays professionally and today – we’re going to explore all things about Miura – believe me, this story is like a video game you would only see on Mystino.
Who is Kazuyoshi Miura?
Kazuyoshi Miura is a 54-year-old Japanese footballer who currently plays for Japanese super squad Yokohama FC. Kazuyoshi Miura, otherwise known as ‘King Kazu’ is the oldest football player to still actively play football around the globe.
Starting his career off in 1986, the Japanese forward has racked up 673 appearances over a span of leagues, and scored a total of 187 goals during his time. King Kazu has also starred in some movies during the 2010-2015 window which was unexpected for the then 46-year-old but nevertheless he prospered and still plays the game he loves so much to this day.
Many people may know him for his celebration too, which is called the “Kazu Feint”. This signature dance move is only used when he either does an amazing play with the ball, assisting a teammate, or when he produces an amazing goal.
Why has Kazuyoshi Miura not retired yet?
The real reason as to why Kazuyoshi Miura has not retired yet is unknown, and playing for Yokohama FC should give him a healthy-enough salary to see him through the rest of his life. The only real reason we can assume is that he loves the game so much that he doesn’t want to leave it.
Although Kazu may admit that he wasn’t as good as he was in his prime, he can still run around and keep up with the youngsters in the league who are faster and nimbler than people may assume he is.
Kazu has also just signed another contract with Yokohama FC to take him well past his 55th birthday. There is a good chance that if Kazu doesn’t sustain any injuries and maintains great health, that he would surpass the age of 60 with his favorite club.
There also could be a family rivalry going on – as his older brother Yasutoshi Miura was also a professional football player, retiring in 2018 at the age of 52.
What is Kazuyoshi’s History?
Kazu’s career started back in 1986 when the Japanese youngster was only 19. He started off playing for Santos in the Brazilian league, where the superstar footballer Neymar came from. After his 2 appearances, he moved around a lot playing less than 25 games for 6 different teams.
Kazu then found Verdy Kawasaki, a Japanese Division 2 team where he really took off. During his 8 years at the club, he made 192 appearances scoring over 100 goals for them. He was then loaned away to a few clubs such as Genoa (Italy) and Sydney FC (Australian) before coming back to the Japanese league but this time, for the Yokohama FC squad, during the 2005 season.
During this time, Kazu had over 279 appearances and only 27 goals, but Kazu has still got plenty of fuel in the tank to play and is still playing with Yokohama FC to this day.
Not only this, but Kazu has a history with the Japanese international teams too. During 1990-2000, Kazu got 89 appearances of which he scored 55 goals for Japan and helped them to victory over many opposing teams. Kazu also more recently played for the international Japanese Futsal team back in 2012 – garnering 6 appearances and 1 goal.
In total, Kazuyoshi Miura earned himself over 673 appearances along with 187 goals for all of his clubs, and helped many of the teams he played for reach stardom in their respective leagues and tournaments.
To Wrap Up
In conclusion, Kazuyoshi Muira is still one of the oldest, but highly skilled players playing at 54 years of age. We are sure that Kazuyoshi will continue to play football until his body physically stops him, as his love for the game and maybe some family rivalry will keep him going for years to come.
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