“I am not confident of winning the award,” the 28-year-old AFC Champions League winner said here on Monday. “But I am proud to be here as one of the nominees. I will break out a bottle of champagne if I were to win the award.”

Endo, who led his team to a 5-0 aggregate victory over Australia’s Adelaide United in the AFC Champions League final, goes up against compatriot Yuji Nakazawa, of Yokohama F Marinos, Uzbek Server Djeparov, Qatar’s Sebastian Soria and Ismaeil Matar, of the United Arab Emirates for the title of best player in Asia.

He played a key role in Gamba’s ACL triumph as the Japanese side won 3-0 at home and then defeated Adelaide 2-0 at the Hindmarsh Stadium.

The victory enhanced the reputation of Japanese clubs, who have won the past two editions with Urawa Red Diamonds claiming the title in 2007.

Endo said the disciplined ingrained into J.League players was a major factor in Gamba’s success.

“Every game in the ACL is memorable to me,” said Endo. “We follow rules and fight to the end. I think the attitude holds the key to our success.”

One person who believes Endo deserves the AFC Player of the Year title is his compatriot Nakazawa, who also dismissed his own chances.

“It could be everybody except me,” said Nakazawa, the only defender to be nominated.

Soria, who played a starring role in helping Qatar qualify for the fourth round of the FIFA 2010 World Cup Asian qualifiers, deflected questions about who he thinks deserves the Player of the Year Award, saying: “The most valuable player of Asia should be one of us.”

Djeparov refused to be drawn on his chances, saying he was simply happy to be among the nominees.