Born in Japan on 9 February 1993, 31-year-old Wataru Endo plies his trade as a central defensive midfielder for Liverpool. Endo, standing 5 foot 9 inches (1.76 meters) tall and tipping the scales at 11 stone 6 pounds (73kg), is usually found wearing the number 3 jersey. Beyond his club commitments, he also boasts international caps for Japan.
Calculation by Transfermarkt sets his current market value at around £11m, with his Liverpool contract set to expire on 30 June 2027.
Endō’s career began in earnest in July 2010 when he joined J1 League team Shonan Bellmare. Over six seasons, he made 158 appearances and netted 24 goals. In January 2016, he transitioned to Urawa Red Diamonds, again in the J1 League, for an undisclosed fee. There, across three seasons, he took to the pitch 73 times and found the back of the net five times.
In the middle of 2018, Endo made a continental leap, transferring from the J1 League to Belgium’s Pro League, signing for Sint-Truiden. His time there saw him take to the field 20 times across two seasons, scoring twice. A loan move to Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga came to pass in August 2019, and after a successful spell, he made the transfer permanent in July 2020 for a fee of around £1.5m.
Whilst at Stuttgart, he made a total of 120 appearances, punctuating these performances with 13 goals, across four seasons. However, in August 2023, he couldn’t resist the pull of the English Premier League, moving to Liverpool for around £16m. At the time of writing, in his second season at Liverpool, he has taken the field 31 times, scoring once.
Aside from his club duties, Endo has represented Liverpool in the FA Cup and Europa League, whilst also venturing into international tournament play for Japan in the World Cup Qualifiers Asia and the AFC Asian Cup. Of all these appearances, a standout achievement includes scoring in the Europa League for Liverpool.
