Japan captain Wataru Endo out of World Cup and retires from international football

NASHVILLE: Japan captain Wataru Endo has been ruled out of the World Cup because of injury and has announced his retirement from international football, just three days before his side's opening match against the Netherlands.

The 33-year-old Liverpool midfielder was withdrawn from the tournament after failing to recover from a foot problem. Borussia Monchengladbach forward Shuto Machino has been called up as his replacement in Japan's squad.

Endo sustained a season-ending foot injury while playing for Liverpool against Sunderland in February. He returned to feature for Japan in a 1-0 friendly victory over Iceland in Tokyo on May 31, but was substituted at half-time. He continued to experience discomfort during Japan's pre-World Cup training camp in Mexico, where he did not take part in any full training sessions. Although he joined training after Japan arrived at their World Cup base in Nashville on Monday, he was unable to recover in time for the competition.

In a message posted on X, Endo said he was disappointed to miss the tournament but urged support for the team in Group F, where Japan are set to face the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden.

"There will definitely come a time in the future when Japan win the World Cup, so let's believe in that and support the team", he wrote.

"Let's bring the strength of Japan together so that that moment can happen at this tournament in North America", Endo also confirmed the end of his international career.

"I have decided to retire from the national team. From now on, I will be supporting Japan as just another fan", he added.

Reflecting on his injury setback, Endo said he had done all he could after being injured.

"I've done everything in my power since I sustained the injury so I have no regrets", he said.

Endo made his debut for Japan in 2015 and ends his international career with 73 appearances and four goals. He was part of Japan's squads at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and featured in their victories over Germany and Spain in Qatar.

Defender Ko Itakura will captain Japan at the World Cup in Endo's absence. Speaking about the change, Itakura said Endo would feel the disappointment most keenly and described him as a major figure in the side.

"Wataru is the one who will feel the most frustration at this", Itakura said.

Japan have already been dealing with other injury setbacks before the tournament. Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma was omitted after suffering a hamstring injury less than a week before coach Hajime Moriyasu named his squad, while Monaco's Takumi Minamino was also unavailable after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in December.