is a Japanese former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. His younger brother

Yasuhito was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of several ...

is also a footballer.

Club career

Endō was born in

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

on 18 September 1975. After graduating from high school, he joined

Yokohama Marinos , stylised as Yokohama F·Marinos, is a Japanese professional football club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club competes in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Having w ...

(later ''Yokohama F. Marinos'') in 1994. He debuted in 1995 and he played many matches as midfielder after the debut. In 1995, the club won the champions

J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...

. From 1999, he became a regular player and the club won 2001 J.League Cup,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and 2004 J1 League. However his opportunity to play decreased in 2005 and he moved to

Vissel Kobe is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. They are currently the J1 League champions. The club's home stadium is Noevir Stad ...

in July 2005. He retired end of 2007 season.

International career

In July 1996, Endō was selected to the Japan U-23 national team for the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. At this tournament, he wore the number 10 shirt for Japan and played the first match against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Japan won against Brazil, and it was known as the "Miracle of Miami" ( マイアミの奇跡) in Japan.

Club statistics

References

External links

* * 1975 births Living people Japanese men's footballers J1 League players J2 League players Yokohama F. Marinos players Vissel Kobe players Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Japan Men's association football midfielders Association football people from Kagoshima 20th-century Japanese sportsmen {{Japan-footy-midfielder-1970s-stub