Virgil van Dijk on Wataru Endō after Japan’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands national football team:
🗣️ “I have to say, that moment with Endō’s shirt left on the bench… it was emotional. Even as an opponent, you could feel the weight of it.
To hear he withdrew from the squad due to injury and then announced his retirement on the eve of the World Cup that’s heartbreaking. No player deserves that. Not after all the years of sacrifice and discipline it takes to reach this stage.
When you step out on that pitch and you know a teammate like that should have been there, it changes something in the atmosphere. You feel it in the dressing room, you feel it during the match, and you definitely feel it after the final whistle.
What Japan did tonight by keeping his jersey with them wasn’t just respect—it was love. It showed how much he means to that group, not just as a player but as a leader.
As a footballer, you understand how fragile these moments are. One injury, one twist of fate, and a dream can disappear right before your eyes. That’s the cruel side of this game people don’t always see.
So when I saw that shirt on the bench, I didn’t see a symbol of absence. I saw a reminder of what they’re fighting for.
And honestly, teams that carry that kind of emotion with them… they become very dangerous. Very united. Very hard to break down.
Tonight wasn’t just about a 2-2 draw. It was about a team playing with someone in their hearts who couldn’t be on the pitch with them.”
🇰🇷 South Korea's standards don't slip, even in training.
Kang-In Lee was briefly spotted checking his phone during a session before a member of the coaching staff immediately stepped in and took it away. The PSG star simply smiled, handed it over, and got straight back to work.
The clip has gone viral, with fans praising the discipline and professionalism inside the South Korea camp. Judging by their World Cup performances so far, the approach seems to be working. 😳🇰🇷
Guti on the world’s biggest stage ⭐️
Congratulations to Brian Gutiérrez on being the first Chicago Fire Academy player to start a FIFA World Cup match ⚽️ #cf97
📺 Telemundo TV commentator: "We are one of the only networks in the world to NOT show ads during the World Cup cooling breaks."
"We prefer the old school way. We should be able to see what the players do. We show fans, people enjoying, not the corporate direction of football."