Endo is a name that should not be overlooked. He is the heart of Liverpool's midfield, the captain of the Japanese national team and the pride of Asian football. He has an indomitable spirit, excellent technique and tactics, and an amazing physical confrontation ability. He is Asia's No. 1 midfielder and a world-class midfielder.
But his path to success has not been smooth. He has been rejected three times by professional youth training, has been despised by European teams, and has been questioned about his suitability for the Premier League. How did he overcome difficulties step by step and reach the top? Let's take a look back at his story.
Born in 1993, Endo's father was a school soccer coach and a big fan of Yokohama Marino. He named his son "Hang", which means that he can fly into the world. Endo has loved football since he was a child, and his dream is to join the Yokohama Mariner academy and become a professional footballer. But his dream was hit three times. In the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school, and in the first year of junior high school, he took the Yokohama Mariner entrance test, but failed to pass. His height, speed, and technique weren't good enough, and he was considered to have no career potential.
Endo did not give up, he continued to train hard in the school football team, and he also changed his position. He was originally a striker, but because the team's backline was too weak, he was assigned by the coach to play at centre-back. He began to learn defensive skills and awareness, and his father also gave him a lot of help and guidance. He gradually adapted to his new position and showed a certain level of performance. But his football career in junior high school was not brilliant, he did not make the representative team of Kanagawa Prefecture, and he did not attract the attention of other clubs.
Until one day, he met his own Bole. It was a training match, and his Minamitotsuka Junior High School played against the Shonan Bima Youth Team. The opposing head coach Cao Guiju originally came to inspect Minamitozuka's two forwards, but he was attracted by Endo. He found the skinny centre-back to have an extraordinary defensive instinct, and he was able to cut off the opposition attack in time, as well as fill in and help defend in time. He felt that the child had a lot of potential, and he decided to take him in. In this way, after graduating from junior high school, Endo joined the youth academy of Shonan Bima and began his professional football path.
At Shonan Bima, Endo's growth rate is astonishing. When he was a sophomore in high school, he became the captain of the Kanagawa Junior National Team and led the team to win the championship of the National Sports Conference. When he was in his third year of high school, he was promoted to the first team of Shonan Bima and also passed the entrance exam of Kanagawa University. After discussing with his family, he chose to give up his studies and concentrate on playing football. At the age of 19, he became the captain and penalty taker of Shonan Bima, scoring seven league goals and helping the team move from J2 to J1. When he was 20 years old, he married his first girlfriend and became a father. At the age of 21, he moved to Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds, winning the Japan League Cup and the AFC Champions League. At the age of 25, he traveled to Europe and joined St. Truiden in Belgium to begin his European adventure.
In Europe, Endo has encountered more challenges and opportunities. In his first season in Belgium, he changed his position, transitioning from centre-back to central midfield. In his first season in Germany, he helped Stuttgart to be promoted from the Bundesliga to the Bundesliga, where he captained the team. In his first season in the Bundesliga, he became the league's leading tackle leader and the core of the Japanese national team. In his second season in the Bundesliga, he was selected by Liverpool and joined the Premier League champions for £16 million.
At Liverpool, Endo has exceeded all expectations. At the start of the season, he was still a substitute and was considered a stopgap measure for Klopp. But with his hard work and strength, he gradually won the trust and love of coaches, teammates and fans. By the time he was mid-season, he had become the heart of the team's midfield, playing a key role in both defence and attack. By the end of the season, he had become the Premier League's best defender and the pride of Asian football.
The story of Endo is a story full of struggle and perseverance. He has grown from a small man who was rejected to a midfielder who conquered the Premier League. With his actions, he has changed the prejudice against Asian players in Europe and the United States, and proved that Asian players can survive by physically fighting in the top league. He is Asia's No. 1 midfielder and a world-class midfielder.