Virgil van Dijk showcased his kind nature by handing Wataru Endo the captain’s armband during Liverpool’s trip to Japan last year, but the defender has been denied the opportunity to face his club teammate at this summer’s World Cup.
Endo has been forced to withdraw from the Japan squad due to a broken foot and has now retired from international football.
“Since my injury, I’ve done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever,” he said. “From here on, I’ll be cheering for the Japan national team as one of the fans.”
The gesture that summed him up
The Netherlands, captained by Van Dijk, were due to face Japan in both sides’ opening World Cup game this weekend. It comes a year after the Dutchman showed the utmost respect to his Japanese teammate during a preseason tour of Endo’s home country.
The Reds travelled to Japan to face Yokohama F Marinos and emerged victorious 3-1. One of the main headlines from the game was Endo coming on to replace Van Dijk in the second half and receiving the captain’s armband.
The midfielder revealed he had a trial with Yokohama as a youngster but didn’t join, leading to a full circle moment as he led his Liverpool team to victory.
The 33 year old said at the time: “I supported this club actually and I went to a trial but I couldn’t join this club. Now I came back here as a player of Liverpool. It was a dream come true moment.”
Regarding Van Dijk’s kind gesture, Endo added: “I think it was a great gesture. I think all Japanese people maybe wanted me to be captain.”
The injury that ended a dream
Van Dijk will be disappointed not to face Endo on Sunday afternoon. Endo sustained a broken left foot and a ruptured ligament against Sunderland in February and didn’t make another appearance during the run in.
He was named in the World Cup squad for Japan and managed 45 minutes in a friendly against Iceland. However, he was subbed off due to discomfort and has now been replaced by Borussia Monchengladbach’s Shuto Machino.
Liverpool made the announcement: “Wataru Endo has withdrawn from Japan’s World Cup squad due to injury, and announced his retirement from international football. Keep your head up, Wata.”
A favourite at Anfield
Endo has earned 73 caps for Japan since his debut in 2015 and caught the Reds’ eye at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He moved to Anfield just over six months after that tournament and has won the Premier League and Carabao Cup during his tenure in England.
With just a year left on his Liverpool deal, the 33 year old has become a favourite among the Anfield faithful due to his ability to do a job anywhere across the pitch.
The bottom line
A broken foot. A World Cup dream shattered. A retirement announced.
And a reunion denied.
Van Dijk’s gesture to Endo in Japan, handing him the armband in his home country was the ultimate act of respect. It summed up the Liverpool captain’s leadership and kindness.
Now the two won’t face each other on the world stage. Endo will be watching from home. Van Dijk will be captaining the Netherlands without his clubmate on the opposing side.
Football can be cruel. This is one of those moments.
But the gesture remains. And it won’t be forgotten.
