Football and gaming fans alike were on Friday treated to another franchise of the football genre; FIFA 22, marking this current seasons' football transfers, news and stats. For one man however, the franchise release makes it his 26th year having featured in the console video game.
Japanese international Kazuyoshi Miura is the only active professional footballer who featured on FIFA '96 to still be playing, and featured on this year's edition of the popular game.
Given that the average age of retirement for a professional footballer is 35, it is some achievement that at the grand age of 54, Miura is still embracing the footballer's lifestyle. His achievements include a Guinness World Record for being the oldest professional goalscorer all the way back when he was 50. He has also gone on to also set the record for oldest professional footballer.
Currently plying his trade in the Japanese top flight for Yokohama FC, Miura - or 'King Kazu' as he's known among locals - is more of a squad player than a first team regular these days. But he is still seen training hard and is always reliable when called upon. The 54-year-old was the first major superstar in Japanese football, and his rise to fame coincided with the launch of Japan's J League in 1993 after he began career in 1990. Scoring 55 goals in 89 appearances for his country, Miura is right up there among Japan's greatest players.
Back in FIFA '96, Miura was a playable member of the Japan squad with a rating of 80, which is fairly respectable for a man of his goal scoring talents. But nowadays if you were to use him on the recently released FIFA 22, the experienced pro now only ranks as a 59-rated player. Miura made his pro debut at age19 for Brazilian club Santos in 1986. The veteran then went on to become the First Japanese player to join the Serie A in 1994. What a career!