Japan captain ?Wataru Endo has withdrawn from the World Cup squad due to injury in a blow for Samurai Blue, with ?the midfielder also announcing his ?retirement ?from international soccer.
Endo, who endured ?an injury-plagued?season with Liverpool, has been replaced by Borussia Moenchengladbach striker ?Shuto Machino, the Japan Football Association said ?in a statement.
¡°Since my injury, I¡¯ve done everything I possibly ?could up to ?this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever,¡± ?Endo said in ?a social media post.
The ?33-year-old said he was frustrated ?at ?not being able to participate in the showpiece event but took pride in the team¡¯s growth since ?the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
¡°With this campaign, I will be retiring from the national team,¡± he said.?¡°So from here ?on, ?I¡¯ll be cheering for the ?Japan national team as one ?of the fans.¡±
Japan is in Group F and kicks off its eighth appearance at the ?World Cup against the Netherlands in Dallas on June 14 before taking on Tunisia and Sweden.
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