Former Japan captain Maya Yoshida has signed with the LA Galaxy of U.S. Major League Soccer for a one-and-a-half-year contract through the end of the 2024 season, the club said Thursday.
The 34-year-old defender has been a free agent since his departure this summer from Schalke in Germany.
Yoshida, who hails from Nagasaki Prefecture, began his playing career with J-League first-division club Nagoya Grampus before moving abroad to join VVV-Venlo, then in the Dutch top flight, in 2010.
He spent the longest span of his career with Southampton, playing eight seasons for them in the English Premier League before stints with Italian Serie A side Sampdoria and Schalke.
The veteran played for Japan at the last three World Cups, leading the squad to the round of 16 as captain in the 2022 edition in Qatar.
© KYODO