Kazuyoshi Miura, the 59-year-old Japanese football legend known as 'King Kazu', has scored his first competitive goal in almost four years. Miura netted Fukushima United's fifth goal in a 7-0 Emperor's Cup qualifier victory over Iwaki Furukawa FC. His last goal was in November 2022.
In the 52nd minute, Miura latched onto a cross by Takatora Einaga inside the box to beat two defenders and slot home. 'It was a bit of a scramble, but what matters is that we were in the right spots,' Miura said.
'I wanted to live up to the expectations of everyone, including the coach who gave me the opportunity to play until that point. Above all, I was so happy that, even when we were already way ahead, the players, staff, and fans were all able to celebrate that one goal together with such joy,' he added.
Miura made his professional debut in 1986 for Brazilian team Santos and has played for teams in Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. He helped put football in Japan on the map when the professional J-League was launched in 1993.
He made his Japan debut in 1990 but was famously left out of the squad for their first World Cup finals appearance in 1998, despite scoring 55 goals in 89 games for the national side. Miura signed for Fukushima United on loan in January and said he wanted to repay his new team's faith in him with goals and assists.
