Wu Lei
Wu with China at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-11-19) 19 November 1991[1]
Place of birth Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Shanghai Port
Number 7
Youth career
2003–2005 Genbao Football Base
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2018 Shanghai SIPG 296 (151)
2019–2022 Espanyol 103 (10)
2022– Shanghai Port 42 (29)
International career‡
2007–2008 China U17 8 (7)
2009–2010 China U20 9 (11)
2010– China 92 (32)
Medal record
Representing  China
East Asian Football Championship
Winner2010 Japan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 November 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 January 2024
Wu Lei
Chinese武磊

Wu Lei (Chinese: 武磊; pinyin: Wǔ Lěi; born 19 November 1991) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port and the China national team.

Wu is the all-time top goalscorer for Shanghai SIPG with 185 goals, and the all-time top goalscorer, tied with Elkeson, in Chinese Super League history with 131 goals. Wu also holds the record for being the youngest player to have appeared in a Chinese professional league match aged 14 years and 287 days.

Early life

Wu was born in Nanjing and developed a passion for football at an early age. Turned down by Jiangsu Sainty's youth academy for being too small, Wu took a recommendation letter from former Chinese footballer Li Hongbing and went to Shanghai to apply for the Genbao Football Base in 2003. After watching a single training session of Wu, Xu Genbao, the founder and owner of Genbao Football Base, decided to recruit Wu.[3][4] Later in 2005, Wu and his teammates joined Shanghai East Asia, which was jointly founded by Xu Genbao.[5]

Club career

Shanghai SIPG

Wu started his football career playing for third-tier side Shanghai SIPG, making his debut for the club on 2 September 2006 in a 5–3 loss against Yunnan Lijiang Dongba, making him the youngest ever player to play professional Chinese football aged 14 years and 287 days.[6] He helped the club win the third tier title and promotion to the second tier at the end of the 2007 league season. He scored his first goal for the club on 30 August 2008 in a 2–0 win against Qingdao Hailifeng. This made him the second youngest goalscorer in Chinese football aged 16 years and 289 days, just 47 days behind Cao Yunding's record.[7]

On 8 March 2013, Wu scored on his Chinese Super League debut, in a 4–1 away defeat at Beijing Guoan.[8] Wu scored a hat-trick on 2 June 2013 in a 6–1 win against Shanghai Shenxin, becoming the second youngest player to score a hat-trick in the top tier.[9] He scored his second hat-trick of the season on 18 August 2013 in a 3–2 win against Tianjin Teda. He scored his third hat-trick of the season on 27 September 2013 in a 6–1 win against Qingdao Jonoon. On 31 July 2016, Wu became the first Chinese footballer in over two years to score a hat-trick in the Chinese Super League in a 3–3 draw against Guangzhou R&F.[10][11] On 18 March 2018, he scored four goals in a 5–2 win against Guangzhou R&F, becoming the second Chinese footballer to score four goals in a league match after Li Jinyu.[12]

On 11 August 2018, Wu scored his 89th Chinese Super League goal in a 2–0 home win against Shanghai Shenhua, becoming the competition's record goalscorer, surpassing previous record of 88 by former Shandong Luneng striker Han Peng. [13] Wu won the 2018 Chinese Super League with SIPG, while he also won the Golden Boot award with 27 goals, becoming the first Chinese footballer to win the award since Li Jinyu in 2007.[14] Wu was also named as the Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year at the end of the season, becoming the first Chinese footballer to win the award since Du Zhenyu in 2007.[15]

RCD Espanyol

On 28 January 2019, Wu transferred to La Liga side RCD Espanyol for a reported fee of €2 million,[16] signing a three-year contract with an option for an additional year.[17] He made his debut for the club on 3 February 2019 in a 2–2 draw against Villarreal, coming on as a substitute for his teammate, Dídac Vilà in the 77th minute. It was watched by more than 40 million people in China, as he was one of the very few Chinese Players to play outside of Asia.[18] He became the second Chinese footballer to play in La Liga after Zhang Chengdong. On 9 February 2019, he came on as a substitute and earned a penalty which produced the equalizer in a 2–1 win against Rayo Vallecano. On 17 February 2019, Wu became the first Chinese footballer to start a La Liga match in a 0–0 draw against Valencia CF.[19] Wu scored his first goal for the club on 2 March 2019 in a 3–1 win against Real Valladolid, becoming the first Chinese footballer to score in La Liga.[20][21] On 24 April 2019, Wu scored his second goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against Celta. On 18 May 2019, Wu scored his third goal for the club in a 2–0 win against Real Sociedad, securing Espanyol's spot in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League qualifying stages.

On 25 July 2019, Wu made his UEFA Europa League debut in the qualifying rounds in a 4–0 win against Stjarnan, coming on as a substitute for Esteban Granero. A month later, he scored his first goal in the same competition in a 3–0 win against Luzern.[22] His goal, a header in the third minute, was the fastest in the club's European history and was also the first goal scored by a Chinese footballer in any European continental competition since 2013.[23] On 3 October 2019, Wu became the first Chinese footballer ever to score in European competition, excluding qualifying stages, scoring in a 2–0 win against CSKA Moscow.[24] On 4 January 2020, Wu became the first Chinese player to score against Barcelona, scoring a 88th-minute equaliser for Espanyol after coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw.[25] The club suffered relegation at the end of 2019–20 La Liga but made an immediate return in the following year after winning the 2020–21 Segunda División. On 15 August 2021, Wu made his 100th appearance for the club in a 0–0 away draw at CA Osasuna. [26]

Return to Shanghai Port

On 11 August 2022, Wu returned to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port signing a contract until 2027.[27] On 20 September 2022, Wu made his second debut for Shanghai Port in a 2–1 win against Henan Songshan Longmen. On 29 September 2022, he scored his first 2 goals after returning in a 3–0 win against Chengdu Rongcheng. On 24 October 2022, he scored a hat trick in a 7–0 win against Meizhou Hakka.

International career

Wu was called up to the Chinese under-20 national team in 2009 and scored nine goals in five matches during the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification matches.[28] His impressive goalscoring performances saw him called up to the Chinese national team for the 2010 East Asian Football Championship, making his debut on 14 February 2010 in a 2–0 win against Hong Kong.[29]

Several months later, Wu returned to the under-20 national team for the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship and he played in four games and score two goals while he aided China to the quarterfinals by the end of the tournament. He scored his first goal for China on 28 July 2013 in a 4–3 win against Australia at the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup.[30]

On 11 January 2019, Wu scored twice in a 3–0 win against Philippines at the group stage of 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[31] On 8 October 2021, Wu scored twice in a 3–2 win against Vietnam in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, including an injury time winner. [32]

Wu was named in China's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar and started the team's opening match against Tajikistan on 13 January 2024.[33]

Player profile

Style of play

Wu has been praised for his goalscoring exploits and off-the-ball movements. He is known for his explosive speed, especially on counterattacks. A versatile forward, Wu is capable of playing anywhere across the frontline. Although he has played as a striker and second striker, he often plays as a winger and can operate on either flank.[34]

Reception

Wu's goalscoring prowess drew praise from former manager Gao Hongbo, who stated, "Wu's scoring ability is innate, making him a gifted player."[35] In 2013, former mentor Xu Genbao, who has been attributed to helping develop Wu, described him as "China's Maradona".[36] Wu's performances during the 2013 Copa del Sol caught the eye of Molde FK's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Solskjær commented on Wu's footballing prowess, stating, "He is a good striker; if he moves to Molde, I think he can improve well enough to play for an English Premiership side in a year."[37]

Wu's transfer from Shanghai SIPG to La Liga side Espanyol on 28 January 2019 drew widespread attention amongst Chinese media outlets. According to PPTV, the official broadcaster of La Liga in China, more than 25 million fans in China watched Espanyol win 3–1 against Real Valladolid, in which Wu scored his first goal for the club.[38]

Personal life

Wu is of Hui ethnicity and a Muslim by his faith.[39] Wu Lei was described as a shy person at his youth, and he sought football as an effort to overcome family hardship.[40] He married his girlfriend Zhong Jiabei (仲佳蓓) in 2014 and has two children, a daughter and a son.[41][42]

Career statistics

Club

As of 4 November 2023[2][43]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shanghai SIPG 2006 CL2 ––
2007 ––
2008 CL1 244––244
2009 226––226
2010 2310––2310
2011 251220–2712
2012 301700–3017
2013 CSL 271500–2715
2014 281200–2812
2015 301432–3316
2016 30142110[lower-alpha 2]74222
2017 28206113[lower-alpha 2]54726
2018 2927418[lower-alpha 2]14129
Total 2961511753113344169
Espanyol 2018–19 La Liga 16300–163
2019–20 3343213[lower-alpha 3]2498
2020–21 Segunda División 31231–343
2021–22 La Liga 23141–272
Total 1031010413212616
Shanghai Port 2022 CSL 121142–1613
2023 301810103218
Total 422952104831
Career total 44119032114515518216

International

As of 13 January 2024[44][45]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
China 201010
201100
201200
2013102
2014102
2015112
201681
201781
2018115
201985
202000
2021109
202220
2023115
202420
Total9232
As of 16 November 2023[44][45]
Scores and results list China's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wu goal.
List of international goals scored by Wu Lei
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
128 July 2013Olympic Stadium, Songpa-gu, South Korea Australia4–14–32013 EAFF East Asian Cup
215 November 2013Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'an, China Indonesia1–01–02015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
34 September 2014Anshan Sports Centre Stadium, Anshan, China Kuwait3–13–1Friendly
414 October 2014Helong Stadium, Changsha, China Paraguay2–02–1
516 June 2015Changlimithang Stadium, Thimpu, Bhutan Bhutan2–06–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
69 August 2015Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan, China Japan1–01–12015 EAFF East Asian Cup
729 March 2016Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'an, China Qatar2–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
85 September 2017Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar Qatar2–12–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
926 May 2018Jiangning Sports Center, Nanjing, China Myanmar1–01–0Friendly
102 June 2018Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Thailand1–02–0
112–0
1216 October 2018Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, Nanjing, China Syria2–02–0
1324 December 2018Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar Iraq1–11–2
1411 January 2019Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Philippines1–03–02019 AFC Asian Cup
152–0
1610 September 2019National Football Stadium, Malé, Maldives Maldives2–05–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
1710 October 2019Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China Guam2–07–0
1814 November 2019Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Syria1–11–2
1930 May 2021Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Suzhou, China Guam1–07–0
203–0
217 June 2021Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Philippines1–02–0
2211 June 2021 Maldives2–05–0
2315 June 2021 Syria2–13–1
247 October 2021 Vietnam2–03–22022 FIFA World Cup qualification
253–2
2611 November 2021 Oman1–01–1
2716 November 2021 Australia1–11–1
2816 June 2023Dalian Barracuda Bay Football Stadium, Dalian, China Myanmar3–04–0Friendly
294–0
3020 June 2023 Palestine1–02–0
3110 October 2023Dalian Sports Center Stadium, Dalian, China Vietnam2–02–0
3216 November 2023Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Thailand1–12–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification

    Honours

    Shanghai Port

    Espanyol

    China PR

    Individual

    References

    1. ↑ "FIFA Tournaments – Players & Coaches – WU Lei". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
    2. 1 2 "Wu Lei". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
    3. ↑ "武磊天天看巴萨录像玩实况用曼联 恒大报价超张琳芃". Sina Sports. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
    4. ↑ 淳, 晧羽 (3 January 2013). "武磊：进江苏球不庆祝 3000万始作俑者不是我". Tencent Sports. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
    5. ↑ 上海东亚足球俱乐部介绍 Archived 27 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine at eafc.online.sh.cn 2 December 2010 Retrieved 14 June 2012 (in Chinese)
    6. ↑ 乙级也有上海德比：武磊上场创纪录 东亚遗憾负东巴 at sports.sina.com.cn 3 September 2006 Retrieved 8 September 2012
    7. ↑ 东亚小将刷新联赛纪录 中国马拉多纳前途无量 at sports.qq.com 2 September 2008 Retrieved 8 September 2012
    8. ↑ "中超-5分钟3球+误判争议+奇速重炮 国安4–1胜东亚". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 8 March 2013.
    9. ↑ 上海德比爆大冷 武磊成中超最年轻帽子戏法球员 at sports.163.com 3 June 2013 Retrieved 4 June 2013
    10. ↑ "Wu's hat-trick salvages point for SIPG". Shanghai Daily. 31 July 2016.
    11. ↑ 杜震宇戴帽泰达3–0获首胜 毅腾遭四连败. sohu (in Chinese (China)). 30 March 2014.
    12. ↑ 收获“大四喜” 我们正在见证一个最好的武磊. Eastday.com (in Chinese (China)). 19 March 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
    13. ↑ "中超-武磊神抽射封王胡尔克点杀 上港2–0双杀申花". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 11 August 2018.
    14. ↑ 武磊超越李金羽成本土最强前锋 距埃神纪录仅差1球. ifeng.com (in Chinese (China)). 7 November 2018.
    15. ↑ 荣耀!武磊结束中超先生外援10年垄断 表态愿出国踢球但必须打主力. sohu (in Chinese (China)). 21 November 2018.
    16. ↑ 官方证实武磊转会费为200万欧 最新身价350万欧 at sina.com 1 February 2019 Retrieved 1 February 2019
    17. ↑ Wu Lei, new player of RCD Espanyol at rcdespanyol.com 28 January 2019 Retrieved 28 January 2019
    18. ↑ "More than 40 million people watched Wu Lei's Espanyol debut in China". MARCA in English. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
    19. ↑ Piferrer, Dídac (17 February 2019). "Wu Lei becomes first Chinese player to start LaLiga Santander game". MARCA. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
    20. ↑ "Wu Lei becomes first Chinese player to score in Spanish league". South China Morning Post. Associated Press. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    21. ↑ West, Andy (29 March 2019). "Wu Lei: How Espanyol forward is helping La Liga's attempt to overtake Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
    22. ↑ "Espanyol extend European party". Marca. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
    23. ↑ "China star Wu Lei nets Espanyol's fastest goal in Europe". South China Morning Post. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
    24. ↑ "UEFA Europa League 2019/20 – CSKA Moskva-Espanyol". UEFA. 3 October 2019.
    25. ↑ "China star Wu Lei's Barcelona goal makes history and gives Espanyol vital La Liga point". South China Morning Post. 5 January 2020.
    26. ↑ "武磊迎西班牙人百场里程碑！前99场共造19个进球". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 15 August 2021.
    27. ↑ "如7归来！官方：武磊结束留洋生涯，回归上海海港". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 11 August 2022.
    28. ↑ 亚足联盛赞国青惊艳表现 称宿家军表现能得满分 at news.xinmin.cn 12 November 2009 Retrieved 8 September 2012
    29. ↑ Score Sheet(PDF) – EAFF : EAST ASIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION at eaff.com 14 February 2010 Retrieved 8 September 2012
    30. ↑ 东亚杯-国足4将连灌4球4-3澳大利亚 压韩国获亚军. Sina Sports (in Chinese (China)). 28 July 2013.
    31. ↑ "亚洲杯-国足3–0两连胜提前出线 武磊双响大宝锁胜". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 11 January 2019.
    32. ↑ "12强赛-武磊双响补时读秒绝杀 国足3–2越南斩首胜". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 8 October 2021.
    33. ↑ "Group A: China PR 0-0 Tajikistan". Asian Football Confederation. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
    34. ↑ "连媒：武磊为冠军可转会恒大 很难超越郝海东". ifeng news. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
    35. ↑ "高洪波：满意上半程球队表现 武磊能力属天赋异禀". ycwb. 30 June 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
    36. ↑ "武磊玩实况最爱用曼联 恒大超高价也带不走他". Tencent Sports. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
    37. ↑ "Wu Lei, China's maestro in the making". FIFA.com. 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
    38. ↑ "Wu's first Liga goal breaks Chinese viewing record". ESPN.com. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
    39. ↑ "少数民族国脚：买提江成新疆第一人 张琳芃武磊皆回族". Tencent Sports. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
    40. ↑ "同样都是回民，为什么武磊没有纹身，而张琳芃把自己画成了地图？". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
    41. ↑ "徐根宝：球员早点结婚是好事 老婆管得住有助提高". Sina Sports. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
    42. ↑ "赢球当晚武磊喜获爱子 儿女双全堪称人生大赢家". Sohu Sports. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
    43. ↑ 武磊 at sodasoccer.com. Retrieved 1 November 2015 (in Chinese)
    44. 1 2 "Wu, Lei". sodasoccer.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
    45. 1 2 Wu Lei at National-Football-Teams.com
    46. ↑ "上海上港夺中超首冠 纪录夜翻开历史新篇章" (in Chinese). Thecfa.cn. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
    47. ↑ "中甲积分榜:上海夺冠卓尔获亚军 东进八喜降级". sports.sina.com.cn. 28 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
    48. ↑ 2007年中国足球协会乙级联赛决赛阶段比赛名次 Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Chinese)
    49. ↑ "El Espanyol cae como campeón ante un Alcorcón salvado" [Espanyol fall as champions against saved Alcorcón] (in Spanish). Sport. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
    50. ↑ EAFF 2009 Calendar
    51. ↑ "AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Technical Report and Statistics". AFC. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
    52. ↑ "AFC MEN TEAM 2020". IFFHS. 16 December 2020.
    53. ↑ "IFFHS MAN TEAM – AFC – OF THE DECADE 2011–2020". IFFHS. 30 January 2021.
    54. ↑ "IFFHS ALL TIME ASIA MEN'S DREAM TEAM". IFFHS. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.