50-Year-Old 'King Kazu' Determined to Break Own World Record as Oldest Ever Goalscorer

Evergreen Japanese legend Kazuyoshi Miura is determined to break his own world record as the oldest player to score a goal in professional football. 50-year-old

Evergreen Japanese legend Kazuyoshi Miura is determined to break his own world record as the oldest player to score a goal in professional football.

50-year-old 'King Kazu', who signed a new contract with J2 League side Yokohama FC earlier this year to extend his glorious playing career into a 33rd season, was awarded a Guinness World Record plaque last week to recognise his strike against Thespakusatsu Gunma in March.

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But Miura will turn 51 in just a few days' time and is already determined to break his own record when the new Japanese season starts next week.

"It's my great honour, but I think this record will be shattered soon," the cult hero is quoted as saying by The Asahi Shimbun. "At first, I didn't want this to become my last record, but then I realised that I can break the record myself."

Miura began his professional career in 1986 when he signed with Santos. He spent the rest of the decade in Brazil, before returning to Japan to join Yomiuri FC in 1990, with the team renamed to Verdy Kawasaki upon the launch of the new J League in 1993.

Miura was a four-time Japanese champion with the club and was named the J League's inaugural MVP in 1993, ahead of legendary foreign veterans like Gary Lineker and Zico.

He was later also a trailblazer for Japanese players in Europe, joining Genoa on loan for the 1994/95 season and establishing a platform for stars like Hidetoshi Nakata, Shinji Ono and Shunsuke Nakamura to flourish in Italy, Netherlands and Scotland respectively in later years.

Miura represented Japan between 1990 and 2000, going to two Asian Cups and the 1995 Confederations Cup. He was cruelly and surprisingly left out of his country's squad for their first ever World Cup in 1998, though, even after scoring 14 times during the qualifying campaign.

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Miura was already a 38-year-old veteran when he signed with Yokohama FC in 2005 and has played over 250 games for the club to date, in both the first and second tier of Japanese football.