Photo/Illutration Kazuyoshi Miura greets a teammate during the season opener for the Suzuka Point Getters on March 13 in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. (Hiroya Ueyama)

YOKKAICHI, Mie Prefecture--The “King” is back at 55, and this season, Kazuyoshi Miura is already showing that he’s still capable of carrying a heavy load as he continues to break records on the pitch. 

And Miura, a.k.a. “King Kazu,” wants to play even more than the 60 minutes he logged in his successful debut with the Suzuka Point Getters of the Japan Football League on March 13 here.

Last season, he appeared on the pitch for all of one minute for Yokohama FC, then in the J.League J1 Division, in a token appearance.

“I played for a minute last year. But today, I played 60 times that,” Miura said. “And I want to play even more.”

At the age of 55, Miura broke the record of being the oldest player to play in the JFL. The previous record for the oldest player in the JFL was 43.

Miura has rewritten the history books again and again, and shows no sign of slowing down.

The veteran’s appearance drew a record crowd to a game of the amateur league team, smashing the previous attendance mark.

Miura’s debut brought a record of 4,620 spectators to the game.

The previous largest attendance at a game for the Suzuka club was 1,308, which was recorded in 2019. 

The JFL’s season opener for the Suzuka club was held in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.

The fans who turned out to see Miura were not disappointed, as their hero was in the starting lineup. 

Although Miura did not score a goal in the game, he played 60 of the full 90 minutes.

His teammates got two goals after Miura was subbed off, resulting in Suzuka’s 2-0 win over Rein Meer Aomori FC.

Miura said after the game, “It is great that we won it in front of many fans.”

The last time that Miura, a 37-year veteran, played in a season opener was in 2017, when he was playing for Yokohama FC, then in the J.League’s J2 Division. 

“Playing in a game is the most important thing for an athlete. I appreciate that I was given a wonderful opportunity,” Miura said.

Miura also expressed appreciation toward the fans, many of whom previously came to see him in a practice game. 

“The fans’ cheers are a big motivation for me. I am very happy,” he said.

Miura, a former member of Japan’s national squad, is known as a soccer pioneer in Japan. He signed with Suzuka in January after Yokohama FC was demoted to the J2 Division of the J.League for the upcoming season.

The Point Getters are based in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, and belong to the JFL, a nationwide amateur league.

It is the de facto fourth division of the J.League, three ranks below the top J1 Division.

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