In August last year, Liverpool of the English Premier League (EPL) recruited defensive midfielder Endo Wataru from the Japanese national team.
It was acquired from Stuttgart, Germany, and was transferred 15 million pounds (25.3 billion U.S. dollars). When Endo was recruited, Liverpool fans began to mock him. Last year, Endo was 30 years old. He criticized why Liverpool recruited a midfielder who is over 30 years old.
At the time, Liverpool fans did not stop criticizing, saying, “We wasted £15 million,” “Come on, get a replacement for Endo,” and “£15 million will never work for a 30-year-old player who was fighting in the relegation zone in the Bundesliga.”
Since then, Endo has slowly stabilized after showing ups and downs in Liverpool. In particular, coach Jurgen Klopp has consistently expressed trust in Endo. Since he was a player recruited by Klopp, his affection was bound to be great.
Then, Endo lifted his first trophy at Liverpool. Liverpool beat Chelsea FC 1-0 in the final match of the Carabao Cup during the 2023-24 season at Wembley Stadium in London, the U.K., on the 26th. Virgil van Dijk scored the dramatic final goal in the 13th minute of the second half of extra time.
It was Liverpool’s 10th career League Cup championship and the 8th trophy Klopp won in Liverpool, who will leave after this season.
Endo started the game and played for all 120 minutes. He won his first European championship. Endo’s life came from behind when he moved to Liverpool at the age of 30, which was ridiculed a lot. And Klopp’s trust continued. After winning the 업소알바 League Cup, he gave high praise to Endo.
“We brought Endo in, and he’s in his 30s, but obviously Endo is a player who can stay in Liverpool for a long time,” Klopp said.
Klopp then praised him, saying, “Endo is a machine. Endo is excellent at soccer. Endo, in particular, has a great defensive brain. He gives his teammates freedom, doing many things for us. It is the best development, and Endo is a very, very helpful player for Liverpool.”