[Player Profile #14] Endo Wataru | The Late-Blooming DMF from Yokohama to Premier League Champions Liverpool — Japan's Captain Faces 'Another World Cup'
Wataru Endo, captain of the Japan national team. A late-blooming dynamo who rose through Shonan Bellmare and Urawa Reds before moving on to Sint-Truiden and Stuttgart, then joining Liverpool in 2023 and winning the Premier League title. Although our editorial prediction has him missing the final squad, this 14th installment of our Player Profile series traces the journey and personal side of the captain who brought a midfield richness to Japan not seen since Doha.
With approximately two months to go until the North/Central America World Cup, which kicks off on June 11, 2026, Wataru Endo has become the first Japanese captain to win a Premier League medal with Liverpool, earning 4 goals in 72 caps with the national team. Endo took the captain's armband from Maya Yoshida in June 2023, yet this outlet predicts he will miss out when the World Cup squad is announced on May 15. Even so, we look back at the midfield discipline he built as a commander-in-chief and the personal story behind a late-blooming career.
menu_book Basic Profile
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | February 9, 1993 (age 33) |
| Birthplace | Totsuka, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Height / Weight | 178 cm / 77 kg |
| Position | Defensive MF (anchor) / CB |
| Preferred Foot | Right |
| Club | Liverpool FC (England – Premier League) |
| Squad Number | 3 |
| International Career | Senior debut in 2015; 72 caps, 4 goals. Started all 3 matches at the Qatar World Cup. Appointed captain in June 2023 |
arrow_forward Getting to Know His Roots
Endo grew up in Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, located in the southwestern part of the city. From an early age he followed Yokohama F. Marinos as a supporter at Nissan Stadium, and first started kicking a ball at his local club, Minami-Totsuka SC. During middle school he failed the Yokohama F. Marinos Junior Youth trials, but upon entering Kanagawa Prefectural Kanai High School he joined Shonan Bellmare Youth and was promoted to the first team in his third year.
Yokohama is a city where Yokohama F. Marinos sit at the top of a layered pyramid of community clubs and youth teams — truly "a city with a football option on every corner." Wataru Endo is the "everyman captain" who never walked the elite path yet climbed steadily from J1 all the way to the summit of European football. When Liverpool faced Yokohama F. Marinos at Nissan Stadium during their 2024 summer pre-season tour, the sight of Endo wearing the red captain's armband on the soil of his birthplace became a scene that perfectly symbolised his career.
calendar_month Career Timeline by Age
| Age | Period | Club / Key Events |
|---|---|---|
| 6–11 | 1999–2004 | Minami-Totsuka SC |
| 12–14 | 2005–2007 | Yokohama Municipal Minami-Totsuka Junior High School; failed Yokohama F. Marinos Junior Youth trials |
| 15–17 | 2008–2010 | Kanagawa Prefectural Kanai High School; Shonan Bellmare Youth |
| 17–22 | 2010–2015 | Shonan Bellmare (158 appearances, 23 goals); experience in J2 and J1 |
| 22 | 2015 | First call-up to Japan senior squad; debuted at EAFF East Asian Cup vs. North Korea |
| 23–25 | 2016–2018 | Urawa Red Diamonds (73 appearances, 5 goals); contributed to AFC Champions League title |
| 25–27 | 2018–2020 | Via Sint-Truiden, loan to Stuttgart; contributed to Bundesliga promotion |
| 27–30 | 2020–2023 | Permanent transfer to Stuttgart; led Bundesliga in duel wins for two consecutive seasons; club captain in 2021/22 |
| 29 | 2022 | Started all 3 matches at the Qatar World Cup; contributed to wins over Germany and Spain |
| 30 | June 2023 | Took over as Japan captain from Maya Yoshida |
| 30 | August 2023 | Transferred to Liverpool FC (4-year contract; transfer fee approx. £16 million) |
| 31 | 2024 | Appeared in all 3 EFL Cup matches; helped Liverpool win the trophy by defeating Chelsea in the final |
| 32 | 2024/25 | Won the Premier League with Liverpool; became the fourth Japanese player to win the title, following Kagawa, Okazaki, and Minamino |
| 33 | 2025/26 | A rotation squad member at Liverpool; awaiting World Cup squad announcement with the national team |
local_fire_department 2025/26 Season: Settled into the Role of "Rotation Anchor" at Liverpool
For Endo, the 2025/26 season has seen him settle into a role supporting Liverpool's midfield rotation, building on the previous year's Premier League title. League appearances are limited depending on the match and circumstances, but he fulfils the job of "carefully filling a position" — particularly in the EFL Cup and League Cup — more diligently than anyone else.
| Season | League Appearances | Team Result | Key Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 19 | Premier League 3rd | Contributed to first EFL Cup title |
| 2024/25 | 20 | Premier League Champions | 4th Japanese player to win the Premier League |
| 2025/26 | Rotation | Competing at the top | Personality leader at the heart of the squad |
His value at club level is high as a "joker-type anchor" who fills gaps in midfield. Endo has brought the same philosophy to the national team, but the emergence of younger dynamos in Kaito Sano, Hidemasa Morita, and Ao Tanaka leads this outlet to forecast that he will lose his seat in the squad.
sports_soccer International Career — "The Quiet Anchor" Forged in Doha
Endo made his Japan senior debut in August 2015, was included in the squad as backup for the Russia World Cup, and started all three matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. In particular, against Germany and Spain he controlled the ball cleanly across the entire midfield, underpinning Samurai Blue's run to the top of their group.
After taking over the captaincy from Maya Yoshida in June 2023, he contributed to a runaway top-of-the-table finish in the Asian final qualifying round, with 7 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss and 23 points. Adding goals with headers from corner kicks, he also fulfilled duties at set-pieces that defied his "quiet leader" image.
star Summing Up Wataru Endo in One Phrase — "Duels" and "Leadership" Combined
Two keywords are indispensable when talking about Endo.
| Keyword | How It Manifests in Play |
|---|---|
| Duels | Led the Bundesliga in duel wins for two consecutive seasons during his Stuttgart days / Despite standing 178 cm, holds the ball through low centre of gravity and body balance / Among the top at Liverpool too for "picking up loose balls" |
| Leadership | The character that led Stuttgart and the national team as captain / Looked after Kaito Sano on his first European adventure and young Kodai Takai / Regarded as the same person on and off the pitch |
He is not the type to "win with words," yet he is loved by Liverpool fans and teammates as a "behind-the-scenes captain" and respected as an iron man who has never let his condition slip in any game and has avoided injury throughout his career.
favorite Expectations for WC 2026 — "The Legacy the Captain Left Behind" Lives On in Group F
This outlet predicts Endo will miss out when the World Cup squad is announced on May 15, but the duel philosophy and midfield discipline he instilled in the national team as captain for Group F has been firmly passed on to successors such as Sano, Morita, and Tanaka.
| Opponent | Essence Endo Left the Squad | How It Lives On in Group F |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Philosophy of retaining the ball cleanly in midfield and feeding it forward | Reflected in the trio of Sano, Morita, and Tanaka going up against De Jong |
| Sweden | Heading coaching to make corner kicks a scoring source | Defensive set-piece design also passed on to the next generation |
| Tunisia | Mindset to win physically in duels as well | Applied in the double pivot of Sano and Morita |
Whether he watches over his teammates from the dressing room or follows the national team's campaign from a seat in the stands somewhere, the philosophy Wataru Endo left with the national team has been inherited by the coaching staff and the generations alongside and below him.
live_tv Social Media & Media Presence
Endo is a player who has developed a "captain's way of speaking" at press conferences — answering every question sincerely. He chooses words that are not flashy but logical, considerate of others' positions, and he builds careful relationships with sponsors and his club.
His social media approach is also of the "considered" variety, centred on gratitude towards teammates and supporters. On Instagram @endowataru open_in_new and X @wataru0209 open_in_new he posts post-match reflections and shout-outs to teammates at a quick pace, while his official site wataruendo.com open_in_new and Ameba Blog "Synchronous | Monthly WATARU ENDO" also feature career reflections by era. Rather than self-branding as a star player, his media style is defined by a sincere desire to communicate the continuity of a craftsman.
info The Challenge Ahead: "Walking Alongside Generational Change"
At 33, one could argue he is at the peak of his career as a defensive midfielder. Including his rotation role at Liverpool, it is a fact that the competition for stamina is intensifying. With dynamo-type players such as Kaito Sano, Hidemasa Morita, and Ao Tanaka rising within the national team as well, this outlet believes Endo will fall just outside the line when the squad is named on May 15.
Yet the richness of the national team that the captain wearing squad number 3 built will remain, regardless. Whether he stands on the pitch as a World Cup squad member, or sees the national team off as a supporter — either way, the footprint that Wataru Endo has left on Japanese football will continue to hold value independently of whether or not he receives a call-up.