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Wataru Endō

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The native form of this personal name is Endō Wataru. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Wataru Endō
遠藤 航
Endō training with VfB Stuttgart in 2019
Personal information
Full name Wataru Endō[1]
Date of birth (1993-02-09) 9 February 1993 (age 31)[1]
Place of birth Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Japan
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Liverpool
Number 3
Youth career
1999–2004 Minamitotsuka FC
2005–2007 Minamitotsuka Junior High School
2008–2010 Shonan Bellmare
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2015 Shonan Bellmare 158 (23)
2016–2018 Urawa Red Diamonds 75 (0)
2018–2020 Sint-Truiden 29 (2)
2019–2020 → VfB Stuttgart (loan) 21 (1)
2020–2023 VfB Stuttgart 99 (12)
2023– Liverpool 34 (1)
International career‡
2012 Japan U19 4 (0)
2015–2016 Japan U23 11 (2)
2021 Japan Olympic (O.P.) 6 (0)
2015– Japan 66 (4)
Medal record
Representing  Japan
AFC Asian Cup
Runner-up 2019
AFC U-23 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:55, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:57, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Wataru Endō (遠藤 航, Endō Wataru, born 9 February 1993) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Japan national team.

Endō began his career at J1 League club Shonan Bellmare before moving to Urawa Red Diamonds in 2016, where he won the league title and the 2017 AFC Champions League. In 2018, he joined Sint-Truiden of the Belgian Pro League, before being loaned to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart in 2019. He signed permanently with Stuttgart in April 2020, captaining them during his final season in Germany. Endō joined Liverpool in August 2023.

Endō made his debut for the Japan national team in 2015, and has since made over 60 appearances for the national team, including in two FIFA World Cups and two AFC Asian Cups. He captained Japan for the first time in June 2023.

Club career

Shonan Bellmare

Endō began his professional career with Shonan Bellmare. After being relegated in 2013, he would help Shonan regain promotion back to the J1 League, scoring seven goals in 38 league matches as they won the 2014 J.League Division 2 title. His form continued into the following season, where he scored four goals in 31 league matches and helped his side to a comfortable 8th-placed finish.

Endō recorded a total of 23 goals in 167 matches during his tenure at the club.

Urawa Red Diamonds

Endō's performances were noticed and he was quickly signed by fellow J1 League side Urawa Red Diamonds, who had finished as runners-up the previous season. In his first campaign with his new club, Endō claimed the 2016 J.League Cup, scoring the winning penalty in the final shoot-out. The following season, he won the 2017 Suruga Bank Championship, as well as the greatest honour in Asian football, the 2017 AFC Champions League.

Throughout his time at Urawa Red Diamonds, Endō accumulated a total of six goals in 109 matches.

Sint-Truiden

Endō joined Belgian Pro League outfit Sint-Truiden in 2018, playing one year at the club and scoring two goals.[2]

VfB Stuttgart

On 13 August 2019, Endō was loaned out to German club VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season.[3] In April 2020, Stuttgart signed Endō permanently.[4] On 26 November 2020, Endō extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until June 2024.[5]

On 25 February 2022, Endō scored Stuttgart's only goal in a 1–2 loss to 1899 Hoffenheim.[6] He scored again in the club's 3–2 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach.[7] On 14 May 2022, Endō got the winning goal in stoppage time of a 2–1 win over 1. FC Köln to save Stuttgart from the relegation play-offs and secure their place in the 2022–23 Bundesliga.[8]

Endō's final appearance for Stuttgart was in a DFB-Pokal first round match against TSG Balingen on 12 August 2023, where he scored the fourth goal of a 4–0 win.[9]

Liverpool

On 18 August 2023, Endō signed a four-year deal with Premier League club Liverpool[10] for a fee of £16 million.[11] He became just the second male Japanese footballer to play for the club after Takumi Minamino who joined the club in 2020.[12] The following day, he made his Premier League and club debut against Bournemouth, coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute.[13][14] Endō was praised for his performance, only misplacing one pass.[15] On 27 August, Endō made his first Liverpool and Premier League start in an away victory against Newcastle United.[16][17] On 27 September, he made his first full Anfield appearance and contributed to Liverpool's victory in the third round of the EFL Cup against Leicester City, assisting Dominik Szoboszlai for the deciding goal.[18] On 26 October 2023, Endō scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 5–1 win over Toulouse at Anfield in the UEFA Europa League.[19]

On 3 December 2023, Endō scored his first Premier League goal, an equaliser just four minutes after being substituted on, in a 4–3 victory over Fulham.[20] Afterwards, he started the next seven fixtures as Liverpool achieved victories against Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Burnley. In recognition for his efforts, Endō was voted Liverpool's Player of the Month for December.[21] He played the full 120 minutes of the 2024 EFL Cup final, in which Liverpool defeated Chelsea 1–0, earning Endō his first trophy with the club.[22]

International career

Endō training with Japan in 2018

On 23 July 2015, Japan's coach Vahid Halilhodžić called Endō up to the squad for the upcoming 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup.[23] On 2 August 2015, he made his international debut in the opening game of the competition in a 2–1 defeat to North Korea. He was named in Japan's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia,[24] although he did not play in any of their matches.

Endō was again in the Japan squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[25] where the team reached the round of 16 before losing to Croatia on penalties.[26]

As of January 2024, Endō has scored three international goals. He was named captain of the national team in June 2023.[27][28]

In January 2024, he was named for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup final squads,[29] and scored a late goal for Japan in the 2–1 loss against Iraq in their second group match.

Style of play

Endō mainly plays as a defensive midfielder, but can also play as a centre-back. His ability to read the game has helped him gain success in the Bundesliga, and he has gained reputation as a prolific ball-winner. While playing in Germany, he topped the Bundesliga for most duels, and second for possession won and tackles.[30]

The Premier League's official website states that at Liverpool, Endo's biggest role is picking up loose balls and recycling possession efficiently. He is also able to make active plays when needed, forcing turnovers and making tackles.[31]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Shonan Bellmare 2010[32] J.League Division 1 6 1 0 0 1 0 — — 7 1
2011[33] J2 League 34 1 4 0 — — — 38 1
2012[34] J2 League 32 7 1 0 — — — 33 7
2013[35] J1 League 17 3 1 0 — — — 18 3
2014[36] J2 League 38 7 1 0 — — — 39 7
2015[37] J1 League 31 4 0 0 1 0 — — 32 4
Total 158 23 7 0 2 0 — — 167 23
Urawa Red Diamonds 2016[38] J1 League 29 0 1 0 3 0 6[c] 0 0 0 39 0
2017[39] J1 League 30 3 1 0 2 0 11[c] 1 3[d] 0 47 4
2018[40] J1 League 16 2 4 0 4 0 — — 24 2
Total 75 5 6 0 9 0 17 1 3 0 110 6
Sint-Truiden 2018–19[40] Belgian Pro League 26 2 2 0 — — — 28 2
2019–20[41] Belgian Pro League 3 0 0 0 — — — 3 0
Total 29 2 2 0 — — — 31 2
VfB Stuttgart (loan) 2019–20[41] 2. Bundesliga 21 1 1 0 — — — 22 1
VfB Stuttgart 2020–21[42] Bundesliga 33 3 3 0 — — — 36 3
2021–22[43] Bundesliga 33 4 1 0 — — — 34 4
2022–23[44] Bundesliga 33 5 5 1 — — 2[e] 0 40 6
2023–24[45] Bundesliga 0 0 1 1 — — — 1 1
Total 120 13 11 2 — — 2 0 133 15
Liverpool 2023–24[45] Premier League 29 1 1 0 4 0 9[f] 1 — 43 2
2024–25[46] Premier League 5 0 0 0 2 0 1[g] 0 — 8 0
Total 34 1 1 0 6 0 10 1 — 51 2
Career total 417 42 27 2 17 0 27 2 5 0 492 46
  1. ^ Includes Emperor's Cup, Belgian Cup, DFB-Pokal, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes J.League Cup, EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in AFC Champions League
  4. ^ One appearance in Japanese Super Cup, one appearance in J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship, one appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  5. ^ Appearances in Bundesliga relegation play-offs
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 10 October 2024[47]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Japan 2015 5 0
2016 2 0
2017 4 0
2018 4 0
2019 7 1
2020 3 0
2021 9 1
2022 13 0
2023 8 0
2024 10 2
Total 65 4
As of match played 10 October 2024
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Endō goal[48]
List of international goals scored by Wataru Endō
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 October 2019 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan 21  Mongolia 5–0 6–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 25 March 2021 Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, Japan 26  South Korea 3–0 3–0 Friendly
3 19 January 2024 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar 57  Iraq 1–2 1–2 2023 AFC Asian Cup
4 5 September 2024 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan 63  China 1–0 7–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Shonan Bellmare

Urawa Red Diamonds

Liverpool

Japan U23

Japan

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ – Squad List: Japan (JPN)" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. ^ W. Endo at Soccerway.com
  3. ^ "Wataru Endo joins VfB". VfB Stuttgart. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Wataru Endo Transfers to VfB Stuttgart". Sint-Truidense V.V. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Wataru Endo commits until 2024". VfB Stuttgart. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  6. ^ "TSG Hoffenheim - VfB Stuttgart". kicker.de. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Der coole Kalajdzic krönt eine famose VfB-Aufholjagd". kicker.de. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Wataru Endo's injury-time winner over Cologne seals dramatic salvation for VfB Stuttgart". Bundesliga. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  9. ^ "TSG Balingen 0-4 VfB Stuttgart". ESPN. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  10. ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (18 August 2023). "Liverpool sign Stuttgart and Japan defensive midfielder Wataru Endo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Wataru Endo: Liverpool sign Stuttgart and Japan midfielder for £16m". BBC Sport. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Ini Dia Sosok Pemain Jepang Kedua yang Resmi Berseragam Liverpool" [This is the second Japanese player to officially wear Liverpool's uniform] (in Indonesian). Natalia Endah Hapsari. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  13. ^ "63' - Endo is on for his Reds debut, replacing Gakpo 🔴". Retrieved 19 August 2023 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Premier League: Liverpool 3-1 up but Mac Allister sent off, Brighton 4-1 ahead". BBC Sport. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Liverpool player ratings vs Bournemouth: Dominik Szoboszlai continues to shine despite Alexis Mac Allister's moment of madness". Goal. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  16. ^ McNulty, Phil (27 August 2023). "Newcastle United 1–2 Liverpool: Darwin Nunez snatches points for ten-man Reds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  17. ^ Taylor, Louise (27 August 2023). "Darwin Núñez's late double steals win for 10-man Liverpool to stun Newcastle". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Gakpo, Szoboszlai and Jota seal Liverpool cup comeback against Leicester". Liverpool F.C. 27 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Liverpool 5–1 Toulouse: Clinical Reds cruise to Europa League win". BBC Sport. 26 October 2023.
  20. ^ Rindl, Joe (3 December 2023). "Liverpool 4–3 Fulham: Alexander-Arnold scores late as Liverpool win thriller". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Wataru Endo voted Liverpool's Men's Player of the Month". Liverpool F.C. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  22. ^ Matchett, Karl (26 February 2024). "Wataru Endo's Wembley masterclass completes rapid redemption arc at Liverpool". The Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  23. ^ "EAFF東アジアカップ2015（8/2～9＠中国／武漢） SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）メンバー・スケジュール" (in Japanese). JFA. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  24. ^ "World Cup 2018: All the confirmed squads for this summer's finals in Russia".
  25. ^ "Samurai Blue (Japan National Team) squad – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". Japan Football Association. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  26. ^ "Japan 1–1 Croatia". FIFA. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Football: Liverpool agree to sign Endo from Stuttgart". Kyodo News.
  28. ^ "日本代表新キャプテン・遠藤航単独インタビュー「A代表はW杯優勝を目指しているんだなと日本人全員に思っていてほしい」". Web Gekisaka (in Japanese). 11 July 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  29. ^ "AFC Asian Cup 2023: Skuad Jepang Rasa Eropa, Inilah Daftar 26 Nama Pemain yang Tercatat!" [AFC Asian Cup 2023: Japanese Squad with European Flavor, Here's the List of 26 Listed Players!]. Kompasiana (in Indonesian). 2 January 2024.
  30. ^ Watach, Nestor (17 August 2023). "All you need to know about Wataru Endo, Liverpool's surprise new DM". Planet Football. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  31. ^ "How Endo has become Liverpool's midfield linchpin". Premier League. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  32. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  34. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  36. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  37. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  38. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  39. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  40. ^ a b "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  41. ^ a b "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  42. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  43. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  44. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  45. ^ a b "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  46. ^ "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  47. ^ Japan National Football Team Database (in Japanese)
  48. ^ "Wataru Endō". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  49. ^ McNulty, Phil (25 February 2024). "Chelsea 0–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  50. ^ "AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Technical Report" (PDF). AFC. 12 August 2024. p. 69. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
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