Wataru Endo, who contributed to Japan's advance to the final tournament as a volunteer for the Japan national football team at the World Cup Qatar, spoke about his determination for the future in an interview with NHK.
Endo played in all four matches of the World Cup Qatar tournament as a defensive defensive defensive midfielder, and demonstrated his unique one-on-one strength to help Japan advance to the knockout stages.
Endo, who has returned to Japan after the tournament, responded to an interview with NHK on the night of the 21st about not reaching the top 8 of the goal, saying, "Although the result was the best 16, how to break through the first league? It's something we've never done before, and I think we've made some progress.
Also, regarding the scene where I felt a response, I will mention the scene where after stealing the ball in the first match against Germany, I dodged the three opponents who were putting intense pressure on me and tenaciously invited fouls and made the ball their own. He said, ``Germany switch quickly between offense and defense, so I put pressure on them like they were angry, but I was able to play my ball.
The 29-year-old Endo is also the captain of his club in the German 1st Division, and once wore the captain's armband in a match in which Maya Yoshida was absent in the final Asian qualifiers.
After saying that the captain should be a player who has earned the trust of the coach and the players around him, he said, "If I had the opportunity to be the captain of the Japan national team, I would be proud because such an opportunity does not come easily. I'm not the type to yell at him, so the ideal captain image is to pull him on his back."
Looking ahead to the next tournament four years from now, he said, "In order to raise the level of the team, the growth of individual players is essential. The current Japan national team expects more players to play in the world's top leagues. We need it. Year after year, I want to try and get as close as possible to my goal of reaching the top 8, the top 4, and winning the championship.”