 Endō playing for Japan in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yasuhito Endō | ||
| Date of birth | 28 January 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gamba Osaka | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1997 | Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998 | Yokohama Flügels | 16 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | Kyoto Purple Sanga | 53 | (9) |
| 2001– | Gamba Osaka | 380 | (79) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1998–1999 | Japan U-20 | 11 | (1) |
| 1999 | Japan U-23 | 7 | (0) |
| 2002–[1] | Japan | 140 | (12) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2012.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 September 2013 | |||
Yasuhito Endō (遠藤 保仁 Endō Yasuhito, born 28 January 1980 in Kagoshima City in Kagoshima Prefecture) is a Japanese footballer, who currently plays for the J. League team Gamba Osaka.[2] His older brother Akihiro, who retired in 2008, is also a former professional footballer, and was selected as one of Japan under-23 national football team members played at 1996 Olympics. He is considered a cult hero at Gamba Osaka and the Japan National Football Team. It is because he has formidable passing ability, leadership, and goal scoring ability. He is also known for his excellent accuracy on free kicks and is revered as one of Japan's most creative midfielders of his generation, despite playing domestically in his home country.
Career
In 2011, he became the first J. League player to be named in the J. League Best Eleven 9 times. In 2009, he was named "Player of the Year" by the Asian Football Confederation.[3]
In 2012, he extended his record and became the first Japanese player to be selected in the J. League Best Eleven ten consecutive times in a row in the midfield position.[4]
International career
Endō played 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship and Japan finished 2nd place, losing to Spain in the final. Since 2002, Endō has been a member of the senior national team, and was selected for Japan's 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup squad.[5] On 24 June 2010, Endō scored from a free-kick againstDenmark in a 3–1 win as Japan qualified for the second round of the World Cup.[6] On 12 October 2010, he became the 4th player to earn 100th full international cap for Japan in a friendly match against South Korea. On 16 October 2012, Endo became Japan's most capped player in a friendly against Brazil.[7] His start in this match was his 123rd appearance for the national team, surpassing Masami Ihara's previous record of 122 caps
