From Doubts to Devotion: The Wataru Endo Redemption Arc No One Saw Coming
When Liverpool announced the signing of Wataru Endo last summer, many fans had doubts. A 30-year-old midfielder from Stuttgart? For £16 million? After we missed out on Caicedo and Lavia? It felt like the club had just bought the most available CDM off the shelf.
Endo’s first start, away to Newcastle, was rough. Down to 10 men early on, away from home. He looked a bit lost, a bit off the pace. And let’s be honest, plenty of us were already questioning what we were doing buying a 30-year-old when we were meant to be building for the future.
But Klopp saw something. It wasn’t immediate. He got the odd start in the Europa League and the Carabao Cup, and it felt like he was just squad depth.
But then came that game against Fulham at Anfield.
We were 3-2 down, and on came Endo. Minutes later, he smashed in an absolute peach of a goal—his first for the club—and suddenly the whole place erupted. Trent won it late, but Endo’s equaliser was the turning point.
That was when the tide began to turn. Five starts in 13 days, the first Liverpool outfield player to do that since 2006. And he didn’t just play—he bossed it.
Endo might not ever be the superstar name on the back of every kid’s shirt. He’s not Van Dijk, Salah, or Alisson.
He’s humble. And he’s proved everyone wrong.
#遠藤航 #wataruendo
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