Wataru Endō

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.

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 with VfB Stuttgart in 2019
Personal information
Full name Wataru Endō[1]
Date of birth (1993-02-09) 9 February 1993
Place of birth Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Japan
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Liverpool
Number 3
Youth career
2008–2010 Shonan Bellmare
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2015 Shonan Bellmare 158 (23)
2016–2018 Urawa Red Diamonds 73 (5)
2018–2020 Sint-Truiden 20 (2)
2019–2020 → VfB Stuttgart (loan) 21 (1)
2020–2023 VfB Stuttgart 99 (12)
2023– Liverpool 9 (1)
International career‡
2012 Japan U19 4 (0)
2015–2016 Japan U23 11 (2)
2021 Japan Olympic (O.P.) 6 (0)
2015– Japan 54 (2)
Medal record
Representing  Japan
AFC Asian Cup
Runner-up2019 United Arab Emirates
AFC U-23 Championship
Gold medal – first place2016 Qatar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:47, 30 September 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 00:22, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

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.[3]

VfB Stuttgart

On 13 August 2019, Endō was loaned out to German club VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season.[4] In April 2020, Stuttgart signed Endō permanently.[5] On 26 November 2020, Endō extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until June 2024.[6]

On 25 February 2022, Endō scored Stuttgart's only goal in a 1–2 loss to 1899 Hoffenheim.[7] He scored again in the club's 3–2 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

Liverpool

On 18 August 2023, Endō signed a four-year deal with Premier League club Liverpool[11] for a fee of £16m.[12] 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.[13] The following day, he made his Premier League and club debut against Bournemouth, coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute.[14][15] Endō was praised for his performance, only misplacing one pass.[16] On 27 August, Endō made his first Liverpool and Premier League start in an away victory against Newcastle United.[17][18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

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.[21] 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,[22] 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,[23] where the team reached the round of 16 before losing to Croatia on penalties.[24]

As of August 2023, Endō has scored two international goals in 52 matches. He was named captain of the national team in June 2023.[25]

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.[26]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 26 October 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shonan Bellmare 2010[27] J.League Division 1 610010—71
2011[28] J2 League 34140— —381
2012[29] J2 League 32710— —337
2013[30] J1 League 17310— —183
2014[31] J2 League 38710— —397
2015[32] J1 League 3140010—324
Total 158237020—16723
Urawa Red Diamonds 2016[33] J1 League 290103060390
2017[34] J1 League 3031020131464
2018[35] J1 League 1624040—242
Total 75560901911096
Sint-Truiden 2018–19[35] Belgian Pro League 26220——282
2019–20[36] Belgian Pro League 3000——30
Total 29220——312
VfB Stuttgart (loan) 2019–20[36] 2. Bundesliga 21110——221
VfB Stuttgart 2020–21[37] Bundesliga 33330——363
2021–22[38] Bundesliga 33410——344
2022–23[39] Bundesliga 33551—20406
2023–24[40] Bundesliga 0011——11
Total 12013112—2013315
Liverpool 2023–24[40] Premier League 50001[lower-alpha 1]03[lower-alpha 2]191
Career total 3874226212024244946
  1. Appearances in EFL Cup
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 18 October 2023[41]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Japan 201550
201620
201740
201840
201971
202030
202191
2022130
202370
Total542
As of match played 16 October 2023.[42]
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Endō goal.
List of international goals scored by Wataru Endō
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 October 2019Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan21 Mongolia5–06–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 25 March 2021Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, Japan26 South Korea3–03–0Friendly

Honours

Shonan Bellmare

Urawa Red Diamonds

Japan U23

Japan

Individual

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Japan (JPN)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 16. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  3. W. Endo at Soccerway.com
  4. "Wataru Endo joins VfB". vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  5. "Wataru Endo Transfers to VfB Stuttgart". stvv.com. Sint-Truidense V.V. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  6. "Wataru Endo commits until 2024". vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. "TSG Hoffenheim - VfB Stuttgart". kicker.de. kicker.de. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  8. "Der coole Kalajdzic krönt eine famose VfB-Aufholjagd". kicker.de. kicker.de. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  9. "Wataru Endo's injury-time winner over Cologne seals dramatic salvation for VfB Stuttgart". Bundesliga. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  10. "TSG Balingen 0-4 VfB Stuttgart". ESPN. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  11. Sanghera, Mandeep (18 August 2023). "Liverpool sign Stuttgart and Japan defensive midfielder Wataru Endo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  12. "Wataru Endo: Liverpool sign Stuttgart and Japan midfielder for £16m". BBC. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  13. "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.
  14. "63' - Endo is on for his Reds debut, replacing Gakpo 🔴". Twitter. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  15. "Premier League: Liverpool 3-1 up but Mac Allister sent off, Brighton 4-1 ahead". BBC Sport. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  16. "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.
  17. McNulty, Phil (27 August 2023). "Newcastle United 1–2 Liverpool: Darwin Nunez snatches points for ten-man Reds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  18. 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.
  19. "Gakpo, Szoboszlai and Jota seal Liverpool cup comeback against Leicester". Liverpool F.C. 27 September 2023.
  20. "A much-changed Liverpool side continued their perfect record in the Europa League with a ruthless win over French club Toulouse in Group E." BBC Sport. 26 October 2023.
  21. "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". JFA. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  22. "World Cup 2018: All the confirmed squads for this summer's finals in Russia".
  23. "Samurai Blue (Japan National Team) squad – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". Japan Football Association. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  24. "Japan 1-1 Croatia". FIFA. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  25. "Football: Liverpool agree to sign Endo from Stuttgart". Kyodo News.
  26. Watach, Nestor (17 August 2023). "All you need to know about Wataru Endo, Liverpool's surprise new DM". Planet Football. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  27. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  28. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  29. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  30. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  31. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  32. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  33. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  34. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  35. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  36. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  37. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  38. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  39. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  40. "Games played by Wataru Endō in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  41. Japan National Football Team Database (in Japanese)
  42. "Wataru Endō". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  43. Japan Pro-Footballers Association awards
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