Wataru Endō

Wataru Endō
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 side 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 Belgian Pro League, before being loaned to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart in 2019, and he signed permanently with them in April 2020, captaining them during his final season at Germany. Endō then joined Liverpool in August 2023.
Endō debuted for the Japan national team in 2015, and has since made more than 50 appearances for the national team, including in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He became Japan's captain 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.
VfB Stuttgart
On 13 August 2019, Endō was loaned out to German club VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season. In April 2020, Stuttgart signed Endō permanently. On 26 November 2020, Endō extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until June 2024.
On 25 February 2022, Endō scored Stuttgart's only goal in a 1–2 loss to 1899 Hoffenheim. He scored again in the club's 3–2 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach. 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.
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.
Liverpool
On 18 August 2023, Endō signed a four-year deal with Premier League club Liverpool for a fee of £16m. He became just the third Japanese footballer to play for Liverpool after Takumi Minamino who joined the club in 2020 and Fūka Nagano who joined the women's team in January 2023. The following day, he made his Premier League and club debut against Bournemouth, coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute. Endō was praised for his performance, only misplacing one pass. On 27 August, Endō made his first Liverpool and Premier League start in an away victory against Newcastle United. 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. On 26 October 2023, Endō scored his first goal for Liverpool, scoring Liverpool's second goal in a 5-1 win over Toulouse at Anfield in the UEFA Europa League.
International career
On 23 July 2015, Japan's coach Vahid Halilhodžić called Endō up to the squad for the upcoming 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup. 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, 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, where the team reached the round of 16 before losing to Croatia on penalties.
As of August 2023, Endō has scored two international goals in 52 matches. He was named captain of the national team in June 2023.
Style of play
Endō mainly plays as a defensive midfielder, but can also play as a center-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.
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Endō goal.
Honours
Shonan Bellmare
J.League Division 2: 2014
Urawa Red Diamonds
J.League Cup: 2016
Suruga Bank Championship: 2017
AFC Champions League: 2017
Japan U23
AFC U-23 Championship: 2016
Japan
AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2019
Individual
J2 League Monthly MVP: April 2014
Japan Pro-Footballers Association awards: Best XI (2022)
References
External links
Wataru Endō at the Liverpool F.C. website
1993 births
Living people
Association football people from Kanagawa Prefecture
Japanese men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
Japan men's international footballers
Japan men's youth international footballers
J1 League players
J2 League players
Belgian Pro League players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
Premier League players
Shonan Bellmare players
Urawa Red Diamonds players
Sint-Truidense V.V. players
VfB Stuttgart players
Liverpool F.C. players
Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games
Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers for Japan
2018 FIFA World Cup players
2019 AFC Asian Cup players
Asian Games competitors for Japan
Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Japanese expatriate men's footballers
Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Japanese expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate men's footballers in England