JAKARTA - Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo had a trial with elite club Yokohama F Marinos as a youngster. However, he didn't make the cut. Now, Endo has the opportunity to face his idol team in a friendly match, which Liverpool won 3-1 on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, WIB.
Endo, who was born and raised in Yokohama, certainly hopes to play for a club in his hometown. Moreover, Yokohama is one of the elite clubs in the Japanese J.League.
The Japanese national team captain said that any child in Yokohama who goes on to pursue a career in football would certainly want to play for the club.
"I personally support and am definitely a fan of the club. I even had a trial. Unfortunately, I couldn't join," Endo said, as quoted on the club's website.
"Now, I'm back here as a Liverpool player. It's a dream come true," said the 32-year-old defender.
Endo, who usually plays as a center back, said he hopes to one day meet his idol club, either in an official match or a friendly.
After wandering around Europe playing for Belgian clubs and then VfB Stuttgart, Endo's dream finally came true with Liverpool.
"This is truly an incredible moment. I'm returning to Japan as a Liverpool player. This means a lot to me," he said.
Endo eventually played for Shonan Bellmare, whose home base is in Hiratsuka, a city 30 km from Yokohama.
The defensive midfielder then skyrocketed after moving to Urawa Red Diamonds. Playing for the top J. League club, he led them to victory in the Asian Champions League.
From Urawa, Endo crossed over to Europe to play for Sint-Truidin before eventually joining Stuttgart.
He began to establish himself as a successful Asian player on the continent after joining the Reds in 2023. Endo followed his compatriot, Takumi Minamino, who had already joined from RB Salzburg.
In a friendly against Yokohama at their home ground at Nissan Stadium, manager Arne Slot introduced Endo as a substitute in the 60th minute.
He replaced Virgil van Dijk, who immediately handed Endo the captain's armband. The crowd immediately greeted him with applause. The stadium erupted with cheers as he entered the field as the Reds' captain.
"For me, this was an incredible welcome. The Japanese fans seemed to want me to be captain in this match," Endo added.
"All my family came to watch the match. They were certainly very happy to see it. I was also happy to play in front of my family," he said.
In that match, Yokohama took the lead when Asahi Uenaka scored against Liverpool in the 55th minute. However, the Premier League champions fought back and scored with Endo as captain.
New signing Florian Wirtz broke the deadlock, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 62nd minute. Youngsters Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha then gave Liverpool a 3-1 lead. The score held until the end of the match.
"Yokohama are currently playing in the league, which is halfway through the season. So, they are fully fit to play in the match. I think they played well, especially in the first half," said Endo.
"It wasn't easy for us to beat them. But we showed that we are Liverpool and the Premier League champions. I'm satisfied with the result."
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
