Football: Longest-serving Japan international Yasuhito Endo retires
KYODO NEWS
Midfielder Yasuhito Endo, who was capped a record 152 times for Japan and played in a record 672 J-League first-division games, has retired, his J1 club, Jubilo Iwata, announced Tuesday.
The 43-year-old Endo turned pro in 1998 straight out of high school with the now-disbanded Yokohama Flugels. He won J-League championships with Gamba Osaka in 2005 and 2014 and an Asian Champions League title in 2008.
"For 26 years I've had a long, fulfilling and the best possible soccer career," Endo said on YouTube. "I never thought I'd be able to come this far."
File photo shows Yasuhito Endo scoring a free kick for Japan against Denmark in a World Cup Group E game in Rustenburg, South Africa, in June 2010. (Kyodo)
Endo played in three consecutive World Cups for Japan, his goal from a free kick in 2010 contributing to Japan reaching the knockout round that year in South Africa.
His next job will be as a Gamba coach.
File photo shows Yasuhito Endo (C) holding up the championship silverware at Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto, Japan, after Gamba Osaka win their second J-League title in December 2014. (Kyodo)
KYODO NEWS
Midfielder Yasuhito Endo, who was capped a record 152 times for Japan and played in a record 672 J-League first-division games, has retired, his J1 club, Jubilo Iwata, announced Tuesday.
The 43-year-old Endo turned pro in 1998 straight out of high school with the now-disbanded Yokohama Flugels. He won J-League championships with Gamba Osaka in 2005 and 2014 and an Asian Champions League title in 2008.
"For 26 years I've had a long, fulfilling and the best possible soccer career," Endo said on YouTube. "I never thought I'd be able to come this far."
File photo shows Yasuhito Endo scoring a free kick for Japan against Denmark in a World Cup Group E game in Rustenburg, South Africa, in June 2010. (Kyodo)
Endo played in three consecutive World Cups for Japan, his goal from a free kick in 2010 contributing to Japan reaching the knockout round that year in South Africa.
His next job will be as a Gamba coach.
File photo shows Yasuhito Endo (C) holding up the championship silverware at Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto, Japan, after Gamba Osaka win their second J-League title in December 2014. (Kyodo)
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Summary
Japanese footballer Yasuhito Endo, with a record 152 caps for Japan and 672 J-League first-division games, has retired from professional play. The 43-year-old, who won multiple titles including the J-League championships in 2005 and 2014, made his pro debut in 1998. Endo played in three