Kazuyoshi Miura: Meet the oldest footballer in the world

Kazuyoshi Miura shocked the entire world by competing with players half his age in professional football. He proved that age is just a number to follow his passion and signed a contract with the fourth-tier Japanese club Suzuka Point Getters.

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The 54-year-old footballer was born on 26 February 1967 in Japan. At present, he is the world's oldest player to play professional football. Popularly known as Kazu, he was passionate about football since his childhood. He reached Brazil through his love for football and then joined Clube Atlético Juventus. He signed his first-ever professional contract with the club Santos at the age of 19 years.

Miura played 4 seasons in Brazil playing for Santos, Palmeiras, Matsubara, CRB, XV de Jaú, and Coritiba. Then in 1990, he decided to return to Japan. After returning he joined the club Yomiuri Fc. The Japanese professional league started in 1993. And at that moment, Yomiuri FC changed its name to Verdy Kawasaki and Kazuyoshi Miura started playing for the team. With him in the team, the team did not even lose a single title. They were the winner of the Japanese Soccer league in 1991,1992 and the J league in 1993, and 1994. Also, he became the first Japanese footballer to receive the Asian player of the year award and the best J League player award.

His achievements and contributions:

His performance was taking him to different heights and his fame and popularity were increasing massively. The Italian club Genoa signed him in 1994 and he became the first Japanese player to play in Serie A. He also became the first Japanese footballer to play in Brazil and Italy. But he could not continue his performance in the team and returned back to Japan. He continued to be a part of his local team Kawasaki till 1998. Later in 1999, he joined the club Kyoto Purple Sanga and netted 21 goals in 41 matches. He played a huge role in the Japanese national team reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in 1998.

Kozu became more renowned after his contract with the Yokohama FC in 2005. He was winning hearts not only with his performances but also his special Kazu Dance after scoring a goal.

Many assumptions and speculation were made about his retirement but Miura continued playing years after years for the team. He was officially declared the world's oldest professional player in 2007. Also, he is the oldest footballer to score a goal. Lastly, he is the only active player who is playing since the starting of the J League. Even at the age of 51, he is breaking norms and proving that age is just a number to follow your dedication towards the passion and inspiring millions and billions