**Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has seen his World Cup dream cruelly ended.**
Endo faced a race against time to be fit for Japan’s campaign in North America after being sidelined since suffering a foot injury against Sunderland in February.
The 33-year-old was on the substitutes’ bench for the Reds’ final Premier League game of the season against Brentford but did not play any part in the 1-1 draw.
His return to contention saw him included in the Samurai Blue’s 26-man squad but withdrew on Wednesday ahead of their Group F opener with the Netherlands.
Endo subsequently announced his retirement from international football, bringing the curtain down on an 11-year spell in which he also captained his national side.
“Since my injury, I’ve done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever,” he explained on social media.
“Of course, there’s frustration at not being able to participate in this World Cup, but more than that, I’m proud of how we’ve grown together since the Qatar World Cup – me as captain, leading this team and turning our goal of ‘winning the World Cup’ into something we can say as a matter of course.
“The current team is truly a wonderful team.
“I believe they will overcome any adversity and show us sights we’ve never seen before.
“With this campaign, I will be retiring from the national team.
“So from here on, I’ll be cheering for the Japan national team as one of the fans.
“The moment when the Japan national team wins the World Cup will surely come someday. Let’s believe in that and cheer them on together.
“And let’s unite Japan’s strength as one so that moment comes in this tournament – everyone, let’s take on the North and Central America World Cup together!
“Everyone, give it everything you’ve got.”