Kazuyoshi Miura facts for kids
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Miura in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 26 February 1967 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Shizuoka, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Atletico Suzuka (on loan from Yokohama FC) |
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| Number | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982 | Shizuoka Gakuen High School | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1986 | Juventus-SP | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Santos | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Palmeiras | 25 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Matsubara | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1987 | CRB | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | XV de Jaú | 25 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Coritiba | 21 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Santos | 11 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1998 | Verdy Kawasaki | 192 | (117) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | → Genoa (loan) | 21 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Dinamo Zagreb | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Kyoto Purple Sanga | 41 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Vissel Kobe | 103 | (24) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005– | Yokohama FC | 278 | (27) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | → Sydney FC (loan) | 4 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | → Suzuka Point Getters (loan) | 18 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | → Oliveirense (loan) | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | → Atletico Suzuka (loan) | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2000 | Japan | 89 | (55) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012– | Japan (futsal) | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:26, 24 November 2024 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuyoshi "Kazu" Miura (三浦 知良, Miura Kazuyoshi, born 26 February 1967), often called King Kazu, is a Japanese professional footballer. He plays as a forward for Japan Football League club Atletico Suzuka. He is currently on loan from J1 League club Yokohama FC.
Kazuyoshi Miura is famous for being one of the oldest active players in professional football. He is also the oldest player to score a goal in a professional match. He played for the Japan national team from 1990 to 2000. He was the first Japanese player to win the Asian Footballer of the Year award. With 55 goals in 89 games, he is the second-highest goal scorer for Japan's national team.
Miura holds several world records in football. He is the oldest active goal scorer in the J-League. He also has the world's second-longest professional football career. As of 2025, he is the second oldest professional footballer in the world at 58 years old. He is one of only two players to have played professional football in five different decades (1980s–2020s). His older brother, Yasutoshi, was also a professional footballer.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Brazil
In 1982, when he was just fifteen, Miura left high school in Japan. He traveled alone to Brazil to become a professional footballer. He joined the youth team of Juventus. In 1986, Miura signed his first professional contract with Santos. He played for several other Brazilian clubs, like Palmeiras and Coritiba. He stayed in Brazil until 1990.
Becoming a Star in Japan
His time in Brazil made him a star. When he returned to Japan in 1990, he joined Yomiuri SC. This club later became Verdy Kawasaki when the J1 League started in 1993. With Yomiuri/Kawasaki, Miura helped his team win four league titles in a row. He played alongside other Japanese national team stars. Yomiuri won the last two Japan Soccer League titles in 1991 and 1992. Verdy Kawasaki then won the first two J1 League titles in 1993 and 1994. Miura was named the first J.League Most Valuable Player in 1993.
Playing in Italy
Miura made history by becoming the first East Asian footballer to play in Serie A, Italy's top league. He joined Genoa for the 1994–95 Serie A season. He played 21 games for the club and scored one goal. This goal was in a big local derby match against Sampdoria.
Back to Japan and Europe
After his loan, he returned to Verdy Kawasaki and played there until 1998. In 1999, Miura tried playing in Europe again with Croatia Zagreb. He then came back to Japan later that year. He played for Kyoto Purple Sanga and Vissel Kobe.
Yokohama FC and Record Breaking
In 2005, Miura joined Yokohama FC. His team was promoted to the J1 League two years later. In November 2015, Miura signed a new one-year contract with Yokohama FC. He was 48 years old at the time. In January 2017, he signed another contract, continuing his career into his fifties.
On March 5, 2017, Miura became the oldest player ever to play in a professional match. He was 50 years and seven days old, breaking a record that had stood since 1965. Just seven days later, he broke the record for the oldest goalscorer in professional football. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win. He continued to sign new contracts in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
On August 5, 2020, he played in a J.League Cup match. At 53 years, 5 months, and 10 days old, he became the oldest player to play in Japan's league cup. On September 23, 2020, he started a J1 League match. This made him the oldest player ever to play in a J1 League match. He also became the oldest player in a top national football division worldwide.
Loan to Suzuka Point Getters
In December 2021, Miura joined Suzuka Point Getters on loan. This team plays in the Japan Football League (JFL), which is the fourth tier of Japanese football. On March 13, 2022, Miura, at 55 years old, played his first game for the Point Getters. His debut broke the record for the oldest player in a JFL match. His presence brought many fans to the games. On October 30, 2022, Miura became the oldest player to score in the JFL. He scored from a penalty kick. He scored again on November 12, 2022, at 55 years and 259 days old.
Loan to Oliveirense
On January 26, 2023, Miura moved to Portugal. He joined Oliveirense, a team in the Liga Portugal 2, on loan. Yokohama FC's owner also owned a large part of Oliveirense. Miura passed his medical tests easily. At 55 years old, he became the oldest professional player to sign a contract for any professional ball sports team in Portugal.
On April 22, 2023, Miura made his debut in a Liga Portugal 2 match. He was 56 years old. He came on as a substitute in the last minute of a 4–1 win. In May, he was given the man of the match award in the last game of the season. He played the last 20 minutes of the game. His loan with Oliveirense was extended in July 2023.
Loan to Atletico Suzuka
In June 2024, Miura returned to Suzuka Point Getters, which had changed its name to Atletico Suzuka. On September 29, 2024, Miura broke the record for the oldest player to appear in the JFL. He was 57 years and 216 days old. He made his first start for the club on October 26, 2024.
International Career
Playing for Japan's Football Team
In September 1990, Miura was chosen for the Japan squad. He made his debut on September 26 against Bangladesh. He played as a forward for Japan until 1997. In 1992, he played in the Asian Cup. He scored the winning goal against Iran. Japan went on to win the tournament, and Miura was named the Most Valuable Player.
In 1993, during the 1994 World Cup qualification, he scored thirteen goals in thirteen games. However, Japan did not qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Miura also played in the 1996 Asian Cup, scoring one goal.
In 1997, Miura scored fourteen goals for Japan during the qualification for the 1998 World Cup. He helped the Samurai Blue (Japan's national team nickname) reach their first ever World Cup. Despite this, Miura was surprisingly not chosen for the World Cup squad.
In February 2000, Miura played for Japan again after two years. He played his last national team match later that year. He finished his career with 55 goals in 89 matches. This makes him the second-highest goal scorer in Japanese national team history.
Playing Futsal for Japan
In 2012, at 45 years old, Miura also started playing for the Japan futsal team. Futsal is a type of indoor football played on a smaller court. He made his debut in a 3–3 draw against Brazil. In his second game, he scored a goal in a 3–1 win against Ukraine. Miura played in all four matches for Japan in the 2012 Futsal World Cup.
Personal Life
Since 1993, Kazuyoshi Miura has been married to Risako Shitara, a former actress and model. They have two children, Ryota Miura (born 1997) and Kota Miura.
Career Achievements
Kazuyoshi Miura has won many awards and titles throughout his long career:
- Club Titles:
* Torneio Brasil Sul: 1986 (with Matsubara) * Campeonato Alagoano: 1987 (with CRB) * Campeonato Paranaense: 1989 (with Coritiba) * Japan Soccer League: 1990–91, 1991–92 (with Tokyo Verdy) * J1 League: 1993, 1994 (with Verdy Kawasaki) * Emperor's Cup: 1996 (with Tokyo Verdy) * J.League Cup: 1992, 1993, 1994 (with Tokyo Verdy) * Japan Soccer League Cup: 1991 (with Tokyo Verdy) * Xerox Super Cup: 1994, 1995 (with Tokyo Verdy) * Prva HNL: 1998–99 (with Dinamo Zagreb) * J2 League: 2006 (with Yokohama FC)
- International Titles with Japan:
* AFC Asian Cup: 1992 * Afro-Asian Cup of Nations: 1993 * Kirin Cup: 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997
- Individual Awards:
* Asian Footballer of the Year: 1992 * J.League MVP Award: 1993 * J.League Best XI: 1993, 1995, 1996 * J.League 20th Anniversary Team: 2013 * J.League 30th Anniversary Team: 2023 * J.League Top Scorer: 1996 * AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player: 1992 * 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification Top scorer * Kirin Cup top scorer: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 (joint)
Images for kids
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Miura in 2012
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Miura (left) with Roberto Baggio and Tsuyoshi Kitazawa in 2013
See also
In Spanish: Kazuyoshi Miura para niños
- List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
- Robert Carmona
