• Yokohama striker will celebrate his 48th birthday in February • Miura has made four appearances in second division this season

The former Japan international Kazuyoshi Miura has agreed to extend his contract for another season at the second division side Yokohama FC, with his new deal taking the former Genoa striker beyond his 48th birthday.

Already acknowledged as the oldest active professional player, Miura this week put pen to paper on a new contract having made four appearances for his club this season.

Known as King Kazu in his homeland, he has enjoyed a glittering career since signing for the Brazilian club Santos in 1986. Miura became the first Japanese player to appear in Serie A when he spent the 1994-5 season on loan at Genoa and made 89 appearances for his country, scoring 55 goals before retiring in 2000.

Having failed to secure a contract following a trial at Bournemouth, he also appeared alongside the former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke in Sydney FC’s attack back in 2005, meaning he has played for clubs on four different continents.

The Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel, 43, is the oldest player currently on the books of any professional clubs in England, with John Burridge’s appearance for Manchester City in 1995 at the age of 43 years and 162 days still the Premier League record.

The Scotland international Neil McBain holds the record for oldest player in Football League history after his appearance for New Brighton in 1947 at the age of 51 – nearly 16 years after his last match for Watford.

But even that pales into insignificance in comparison to Salvador Reyes. The former Mexico striker was 71 when he was honoured by the club side Chivas in 2008 by allowing him to take the kick-off before being immediately substituted.