Wataru Endo escaped any serious injury after a knee to the jaw from Ipswich‘s Julio Enciso, with the Liverpool midfielder gumshield likely softening the blow.
Endo was challenging for loose ball in the middle of the park when, moving to head it, the Japan captain was met with the full force of Ipswich substitute Enciso.
Enciso, who had been on the pitch for mere minutes, leapt off the ground and collided directly with Endo’s stomach and, more concerningly, his face.
Despite receiving a knee to the side of the face the 31-year-old was able to play on, while referee Michael Salisbury only showed the offender a yellow card.
Speaking in his post-match press conference Arne Slot confirmed Endo had avoided injury, saying: “He shakes his head one or two times and just goes again.”
Liverpool’s No. 3 does, of course, have extra protection in his mouth, as he wears a gumshield for every fixture he is involved in.
It is a rarity in modern football and it sets Endo apart – while, as he told Sky Sports in December 2023, he feels it makes him “look like a fighter.”
“When I go into the pitch I just put [a] mouthpiece on and it’s like game on,” he explained.
Endo has gone into more detail around the introduction of a gumshield in his book, Duel, explaining the influence of Japanese dentist Jun Miyagawa.
“It’s become so important to me that I can say that I’m afraid to play soccer without it,” Endo wrote.
“I first started using it when I met a dentist named Jun Miyagawa who lives in Germany.
“Mr. Miyagawa explained to me that: ‘Even monkeys have beautiful teeth, it’s only humans who get their teeth loose’, and that ‘resetting the jaw joint to its proper position will improve both the mind and body’.
“The most important point of a mouthpiece is to protect your teeth.
“Soccer is a contact sport, and although it is not as common as rugby or American football, it is possible for teeth to break due to impact, it happens often. My first goal was to prevent that.
“I no longer have the fear of breaking my teeth, I started to be able to hit ‘one vs. one’ with all my might.
“In addition, by continuing to be conscious of the position of my jaw it allows me to relax. It’s now an absolutely indispensable tool when I’m on the pitch.”
While wearing a gumshield would not have prevented a serious head injury for Endo from his collision with Enciso, it would undoubtedly have protected his teeth.
Fortunately, either way, Endo came away in strong shape, with his combative presence in the middle of the park allowing Liverpool to see out a comfortable win over Ipswich.
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