Yasuhito Endo retired: a possible Japanese equivalent to Paul Scholes has done so in his own way

What is it that sets the very best footballers apart from the rest?

Innate ability is undoubtedly key, and there is always a sense that those at the top of their game just have something that others don’t, that can’t be taught.

The string of wunderkind who fail to live up to their potential illustrates that on its own isn’t enough though, and serious hard work is also required in order not just to maintain but also to increase levels of performance.

The wherewithal to shut out the surrounding noise and focus on the game itself is also a must, and delivering consistent results whether playing in front of 50 or 50,000 fans is a skill grossly underestimated by the majority of laymen and women.

After 15 years of covering the game and encountering the full gamut of domestic talent and global stars travelling here in Japan for international competition, I would also add one more category to this list: humility.

The manner in which an individual carries themselves is hugely important, and arrogance, ignorance, and rudeness are sadly more common than many fans may be aware. As well as obviously being far from appealing character traits on a human level, I would argue they also prevent the guilty parties from truly being able to occupy the very top bracket as players.

By these measurements – and surely many others – Yasuhito Endo’s place in the highest echelons is indisputable, with the 43-year-old, who announced his retirement with a characteristically understated YouTube video on 9 January, ticking every box with ease.

You could probably count the number of misplaced distributions in Endo’s career on one hand

Quality wise there can be no arguments about Endo’s ingrained talent. The Kagoshima native’s reading of the game, knack of always being in the right place to make or receive a pass, and unerring quality with his final ball are perhaps unparalleled in the Japanese game, and you could probably count the number of misplaced distributions in his career on one hand.

The manner in which he maintained the same levels into his late 30s and early 40s is a testament to Endo’s dedication to honing his craft, too, and as younger, faster, and stronger players emerged he made sure that cerebrally he was always one step ahead of them.

To the untrained eye, his languid style of play could perhaps come across as lazy or disinterested, but the truth was just that, much like when receiving possession from a teammate, Endo was simply able to take everything in his stride.

Whether converting a penalty past the legendary Edwin Van Der Sar with the minimum of fuss at the Club World Cup in 2008, bending home a free-kick with trademark elan against Denmark at the actual World Cup two years later, or missing just seven minutes of Gamba Osaka’s league campaign as they won a historic treble in 2014 Endo always seemed totally unflustered regardless of the situation or the pressure he should be under.

His outlook on the game was epitomised after the 3-1 Emperor’s Cup final win over Montedio Yamagata that wrapped up Gamba’s clean sweep of domestic trophies when he was asked if he felt the triumph represented a pinnacle.

“If you look at the results it’s the best season for the club for sure,” he said. “But I don’t see it as a career high for me. That’s to come in the future.”

Endo played 672 matches in J1, and 152 international matches: both are the record in Japan

Indeed, considering the plaudits Endo received throughout his career – as well as all the medals and titles claimed with his club and national teammates he also made the J.League Best XI for 10 consecutive years between 2003 and 2012 (although as he himself admitted, ridiculously so in that final year), was crowned Player of the Year in 2014, and named “J30 MVP” as part of the J.League’s 30th anniversary celebrations last May – he always seemed to somehow maintain his focus on and enthusiasm for simply playing the game.

That eagerness wasn’t even stunted when Gamba were relegated to J2 in 2012, with Endo – still very much a fixture in the national team at that point – unperturbed as he spent a year plying his trade in the second tier and helping to lay the foundations for the following season’s success back in the top flight.

In many ways, he reminded me of Manchester United and England legend Paul Scholes. Not only did both possess phenomenal footballing brains and the capacity to turn what they saw in their mind’s-eyes into reality on the pitch, but each also seemed entirely unfussed by the trappings so many famous footballers fall prey to.

Aside, perhaps, from the ubiquitous Louis Vuitton luggage he’d drag through the mixed zone you would never have known that Endo was a star for club and country, and from the moment I started covering the Japanese game he was always courteous, engaging, and friendly – to the extent that once I experienced quite the surprise when making my way towards the media exit at Nagaragawa Stadium after Gamba’s 8-2 win over FC Gifu in the summer of 2013.

“Sean!” somebody called across the lobby that doubled as the post-match interview area.

I turned around wondering who on earth in this part of the country knew me, only to see Endo standing there with a puzzled look on his face.

“What are you doing here?” he asked with a grin, as I went to greet him.

Being ignored or avoided by players is something journalists are all-too-familiar with, so having the tables turned and finding myself instead being beckoned by one of them was more than a little unusual.

Endo doesn’t really do airs and graces though, as evidenced in the way he accepted his phasing out of the national team with zero fuss despite having made a record 152 appearance for the Samurai Blue, and, of course, the laissez-faire retirement message last week.

“I thought I probably had to do a press conference, but if I did that I’d have to speak seriously and that isn’t really my style,” he said. “On top of which, it’s the off-season and I want to enjoy that to the fullest. So, I decided not to do a press conference and just let everybody know like this instead.”

Slipping out with the minimum of fuss was the perfect way for such a smooth operator to call time on one of the great careers in Japanese football.