Japan captain Endo out of World Cup, ends international career

AI Summary

Japan's national soccer captain Wataru Endo will miss the World Cup due to injury and has announced his retirement from international play. Endo reflected proudly on leading the team since the last World Cup and their ambitions to win the tournament.

Japan captain Wataru Endo was ruled out of the World Cup with injury and announced his international retirement on Thursday, three days before his team's opener against the Netherlands."But more than that, I'm proud that I've been able to captain this team since the Qatar World Cup and help it grow into a group where it feels natural to say our target is to win the World Cup."