On January 11, according to yokohama FC's official announcement, the club renewed his contract with 53-year-old Chira Miura for one season, and he will continue to play with the team for the 2021 season. Among the famous strikers of Asian football at his time, the 54-year-old Gao Hongbo is now the vice president of the Chinese Football Association, and the oldest player in the Chinese professional league, Zhuang Yi, is 47 years old, except that Miura Chira has never retired in his 35-year career, while Zhuang Yi has hung up his boots in 2000 and only returned as chairman and player of Shenyang City Construction Club in 2017.
Chira Miura
Chira Miura, who will turn 54 on February 26 this year, joined Yokohama FC in 2017 and is about to enter his fifth season with the club. In the 2020 season, Miura made 4 appearances in the J1 League and 2 times in the Cup.
Regarding this renewal, Miura Chiryo said: "I renewed my contract with Yokohama for one year in the 2021 season, and last season due to the impact of the new crown virus epidemic, in such a difficult situation around the world, thanks to the help of many parties, I can continue to enjoy the joy of football. It's been a season that's not so satisfying for me personally, but the passion and desire for football in my heart hasn't waned, I'm working hard every day with the goal of playing more games and contributing to the team's victory, and I'm happy about the contract extension. ”
Miura was born on February 26, 1967 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He plays as a striker, is 177 cm tall and weighs 72 kg.
In 1993, Miura participated in the inaugural Japan Professional League and won the MVP of the year, where he was elected Asian Footballer of the Year.
Miura played 91 times for the Japanese national team, scoring 56 goals, and was the first Japanese player to break into Europe, joining Italian club Genoa. In addition, he has left footprints in Kawasaki Yomiuri, Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, Kobe Victory Ship, and Zagreb Dina.
Miura Chira has long been regarded by Japan as a "national treasure" player, and his contemporaries in China such as Jia Xiuquan, Wang Baoshan, Peng Weiguo, Zhu Bo, Mai Chao, Zhang Jun, etc., most of them have now become familiar coaches for fans, and even the players of his two generations have basically retired.
Gao Hongbo has stopped playing football for many years
In 2000, the 33-year-old Miura chira returned to Japan after breaking into Europe and joined the Kyoto Undead Birds team of his mentor Kamo Zhou, although the team was unfortunately relegated, Miura Chira still scored 17 goals, and at the end of this year, the 27-year-old Zhuang Yi decided to hang up his boots, and the 35-year-old Gao Hongbo has begun his coaching career. After retiring from the army, Zhuang Yi became a successful businessman, and in 2015, the Shenyang Zhongze team of the Chinese League A was disbanded, and Zhuang Yi formed the Shenyang City Construction Club with Shenyang Zhongze as the team, and the team entered the second division from the first year of its establishment. In the 2017 season, Zhuang Yi put himself in the team's registration list and returned to the professional league after 16 years of retirement.
Zhuang Yi
On May 12, 2018, in the 7-1 home victory of Shenyang City Construction in the Chinese Second League, the former "Liaozu Fast Horse" Zhuang Yi came on as a substitute in the 65th minute of the second half, breaking the record of the oldest age in the Chinese Second League and the Chinese Professional League with the age of 44 years and 305 days.
Less than a month later, in the 10th round of the Chinese Second Division, in Shenyang City Construction's 4-0 home victory over Yanbian North, Zhuang Yi came on as a substitute in the 79th minute and scored a penalty two minutes later. After 20 years, Zhuang Yi scored in the Chinese professional league again, and Zhuang Yi became the oldest scorer in the Chinese professional league at the age of 44 and 327 days. In 2020, Shenyang City Construction participated in the China League One, and the 47-year-old Zhuang Yi is still in the list of participating players.
Upstream News Chongqing Morning News reporter Tang Hao