Tokyo. Japanese forward Kazuyoshi Miura turned 58 on Wednesday, marking another milestone in his storied career.

The player known as "King Kazu" is also set to begin his 40th season in professional soccer, making him the oldest player in the Japanese Football League.

Miura plays for Japanese fourth-division club Suzuka on loan from second-division side Yokohama. Suzuka is set to begin training this week ahead of the season opener next month.

"Retiring isn't an option. I want to play as many minutes as I can in games," Miura said late last year at a news conference, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo.

Miura has played professionally in Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia, and Portugal. He made his debut in 1986 with Brazil’s Santos, the club made famous by Pelé.

In 2017, at age 50, Miura became the oldest player to score in a professional match, surpassing the record held by England international Stanley Matthews.

One of the first big names in Japanese soccer, Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances for Japan’s national team in the 1990s.

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