Wataru Endo has started thinking about life after football, but the Liverpool midfielder says that does not mean he is ready to walk away from the game next year. The 33-year-old, who has one year left on his contract, said he still believes he can play every game for Liverpool despite a season shaped by limited opportunities and injury.
“It’s a difficult moment for me because I haven’t played a lot of games this season and also last season as well,” Endo said. “I feel like I get a little bit older because I’m already 33 years old and I don’t play a lot of games, but I still feel like I can play every game for Liverpool or something like that.”
Endo has made 12 appearances for Liverpool this season and was stretchered off against Sunderland with an ankle injury in February. He returned to the matchday squad against Brentford on Sunday after a long injury lay-off, another small step in a campaign that has given him far less of the pitch than he would like.
His comments land at a moment when Liverpool’s season has already narrowed the margin for error. The club only just secured Champions League football after fifth place was confirmed on the final day, and Endo has found the lack of chances especially hard since Arne Slot arrived as head coach. With a year left on his deal, he has been linked with a move away from Anfield this summer.
Endo said he is not only looking at what comes next in football, but also at the business side of the sport. “I’m interested in being a manager and I’m also interested in the business of football,” he said. He added that he has two of his own books, including a latest one that talks about football and mindset, suggesting he is already shaping the second act that sits beyond the daily demands of elite midfield play.
Even so, he was clear that reflection is not retirement. “I’ve started thinking about [life] after my career as well but it doesn’t mean I stop playing football next year or something like that,” he said. For now, the next stop is not the end of the road but North America, where he will head to represent Japan at the World Cup with very little playing time behind him. That leaves Liverpool with a familiar question hanging over a veteran player who still says he can do the job and a contract that is moving toward its final year.
