Shock before kick-off… Liverpool player announced retirement from international football

Japan suffered a major blow just days before the start of their 2026 World Cup campaign after Samurai Blue captain Wataru Endo announced his official withdrawal from the squad for the tournament, in addition to his decision to retire from international football for good.

The sudden decision comes just three days before Japan’s opening game against the Netherlands, after the Liverpool midfielder failed to fully recover from the ankle injury he picked up against Sunderland in the Premier League last February.

Endo underwent surgery on the injury before returning to the bench in the final round of the season against Brentford last month, but his attempts to join the World Cup have not been successful.

The 33-year-old only played in the first half of the friendly against Iceland on May 31 before being asked to be substituted after experiencing some pain, raising doubts about his fitness.

An exciting message

In a statement published on his official social media page, Endo confirmed that his career with the Japanese national team is over.

The Japanese captain said. “As it was announced, I will leave the team participating in the World Championship. Since I got injured, I did everything I could until this moment, so I don’t regret it.”

“Of course I’m sad that I didn’t make it to the World Cup, but I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together since the World Cup in Qatar and the role I’ve played as captain of this team in making the dream of winning the World Cup a realistic goal that we all believe in.”

He continued. “The current squad includes an excellent group of players and I am confident in their ability to overcome all challenges and achieve achievements that Japanese football has never achieved before.”

At the end of his address, Endo announced his retirement from international football, saying: “After this round, I will leave the national team. From now on, I will support the Japanese national team as a fan, like other fans. I believe that the day will come when Japan will win the World Cup.”

Endo leaves the Japan national team after making 73 international appearances since his debut in 2015, during which he scored 4 goals. He also took over as captain after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Suffering increases

The technical staff of the Japanese national team decided to invite Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Shoto Machino to compensate for the absence of the captain of the team in the final roster of the World Cup.

Japan’s agony is growing ahead of the tournament in light of the continued absence of a number of its biggest stars through injury, led by Kaoru Mitoma and Takumi Minamino, who were left out of the World Cup squad.

Japan will begin their tournament in Group 6 against the Netherlands, then face Tunisia 6 days later, before finishing the group stage on June 25 against Sweden.