Wataru Endo brought his experience, leadership and tenacity to Liverpool FC in August 2023.

The Japanese midfielder completed his switch to the Reds after four seasons with German side VfB Stuttgart.

A defensive midfielder who also possesses the ability to play in defence, Endo has more than 400 appearances to his name at club level and is captain of the Japan national team.

He made his Liverpool debut just a day after arriving when he came on in the second half of a 3-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. 

Endo then opened his Reds account with a goal in a Europa League win over Toulouse in the October. 

After his settling-in period, he went on to produce outstanding form that saw him voted Standard Chartered Player of the Month for December.

Endo finished his first campaign on Merseyside with 43 appearances to his name and a Carabao Cup winner's medal, having played all of the dramatic final with Chelsea at Wembley. 

Born in Yokohama, his first taste of professional football came with Shonan Bellmare, who he helped clinch Japan's second-division title in 2014. 

He would then make the move to Urawa Red Diamonds, where he caught the attention of teams in Europe and later signed for Belgian Pro League side Sint-Truiden VV in 2018.

Endo spent just one full season in Belgium before he was on the move again. He initially headed to Stuttgart on a loan in 2019 that would eventually become a permanent switch after impressing during the team's promotion from 2. Bundesliga.

As his importance to Stuttgart grew on and off the pitch, he was installed as club captain ahead of the 2021-22 season. He went on to cement himself in the club's folklore with a 92nd-minute winner over FC Köln that secured his side's status in the German top flight.

Making 99 outings in the Bundesliga, Endo topped the league for challenges won for two consecutive seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22) and finished fourth in those rankings during his final campaign in the division.

Liverpool was his next destination in the early weeks of 2023-24 when he formed part of a midfield rebuild.