Wu Lei

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the footballer. For the actor named Leo Wu Lei, see Leo Wu. For historical Xiongnu chanyu named Wulei, see Wulei.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Wǔ (武).
Wu Lei
Wu Lei 20191101 (cropped).jpg
Wu Lei with China PR at the 2019 Asian Cup
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-11-19) 19 November 1991 (age 29)[1]
Place of birth Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Espanyol
Number 7
Youth career
2003–2005 Genbao Football Base
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2019 Shanghai SIPG 296 (151)
2019– Espanyol 80 (9)
National team‡
2007–2008 China U17 8 (7)
2009–2010 China U20 9 (11)
2010– China 73 (23)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:29, 30 May 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 September 2021
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 Spanish La Liga club Espanyol and the China national team.

Wu is the all-time top goalscorer for Shanghai SIPG with 169 goals. He is the second all-time top goalscorer in Chinese Super League history with 102 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 Lei 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 Lei 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]

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.[8] 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.[9][10] 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.[11] In the 2018 season, Wu became the top goalscorer in Chinese Super League history with 102 goals.[12] He also won the Golden Boot award with 27 goals, becoming the first Chinese footballer to win the award since Li Jinyu.[13] Wu was also named as the Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year at the end of the season, becoming the Chinese footballer to win the award since 2007.[14]

RCD Espanyol[]

On 28 January 2019, Wu transferred to La Liga side RCD Espanyol for a reported fee of €2 million,[15] signing a three-year contract with an option for an additional year.[16] He made his debut for the club on 3 February 2019 in a 2–2 draw against Villarreal, coming on as a substitute for Dídac Vilà in the 77th minute. It was watched by more than 40 million people in China.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19][20] 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.[citation needed]

On 25 July 2019, Wu Lei 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[citation needed] On 4 January 2020, Wu Lei 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.[23]

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.[24] 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.[25]

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.

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.[26]

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."[27] In 2013, former mentor Xu Genbao, who has been attributed to helping develop Wu, described him as "China's Maradona".[28] 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."[29]

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.[30]

Personal life[]

Wu is of Hui ethnicity.[31] He married his girlfriend Zhong Jiabei (仲佳蓓) in 2014 and has two children, a daughter and a son.[32][33]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of 30 May 2021[2][34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Shanghai SIPG 2006 China League Two – –
2007 China League Two – –
2008 China League One 24 4 – – 24 4
2009 China League One 22 6 – – 22 6
2010 China League One 23 10 – – 23 10
2011 China League One 25 12 2 0 – 27 12
2012 China League One 30 17 0 0 – 30 17
2013 Chinese Super League 27 15 0 0 – 27 15
2014 Chinese Super League 28 12 0 0 – 28 12
2015 Chinese Super League 30 14 3 2 – 33 16
2016 Chinese Super League 30 14 2 1 10 7 42 22
2017 Chinese Super League 28 20 6 1 13 5 47 26
2018 Chinese Super League 29 27 4 1 8 1 41 29
Total 296 151 17 5 31 13 344 169
Espanyol 2018–19 La Liga 16 3 0 0 – 16 3
2019–20 La Liga 33 4 3 2 13 2 49 8
2020–21 Segunda División 31 2 3 1 – 34 3
Total 80 9 6 3 13 2 99 14
Career total 376 160 23 8 44 15 443 183

International[]

As of 7 September 2021[35][36]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
China 2010 1 0
2011 0 0
2012 0 0
2013 10 2
2014 10 2
2015 11 2
2016 8 1
2017 8 1
2018 11 5
2019 8 5
2020 0 0
2021 6 5
Total 73 23
As of 15 June 2021[35][36]
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
1 28 July 2013 Olympic Stadium, Songpa-gu, South Korea  Australia 4–1 4–3 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup
2 15 November 2013 Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'an, China  Indonesia 1–0 1–0 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
3 4 September 2014 Anshan Sports Centre Stadium, Anshan, China  Kuwait 3–1 3–1 Friendly
4 14 October 2014 Helong Stadium, Changsha, China  Paraguay 2–0 2–1
— 13 December 2014 Chenzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Chenzhou, China  Kyrgyzstan 2–0 4–0 Unofficial friendly[a]
— 3 January 2015 Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Campbelltown, Australia  Oman 3–1 4–1
5 16 June 2015 Changlimithang Stadium, Thimpu, Bhutan  Bhutan 2–0 6–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 9 August 2015 Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan, China  Japan 1–0 1–1 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
7 29 March 2016 Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'an, China  Qatar 2–0 2–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 5 September 2017 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar 2–1 2–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 26 May 2018 Jiangning Sports Center, Nanjing, China  Myanmar 1–0 1–0 Friendly
10 2 June 2018 Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand  Thailand 1–0 2–0
11 2–0
12 16 October 2018 Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, Nanjing, China  Syria 2–0 2–0
13 24 December 2018 Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Iraq 1–1 1–2
14 11 January 2019 Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  Philippines 1–0 3–0 2019 AFC Asian Cup
15 2–0
16 10 September 2019 National Football Stadium, Malé, Maldives  Maldives 2–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
17 10 October 2019 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China  Guam 2–0 7–0
18 14 November 2019 Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Syria 1–1 1–2
19 30 May 2021 Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Suzhou, China  Guam 1–0 7–0
20 3–0
21 7 June 2021 Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates  Philippines 1–0 2–0
22 11 June 2021  Maldives 2–0 5–0
23 15 June 2021  Syria 2–1 3–1
  1. ^ Not a FIFA 'A' international match

Honours[]

Club[]

Shanghai SIPG

Espanyol

International[]

China PR

  • East Asian Football Championship: 2010

Individual[]

References[]

  1. ^ "FIFA Tournaments - Players & Coaches - WU Lei". FIFA.com.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "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 2012-06-27 at the Wayback Machine at eafc.online.sh.cn 02-12-2010 Retrieved 14-06-2012 (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. ^ 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
  9. ^ "Wu's hat-trick salvages point for SIPG". Shanghai Daily. 31 July 2016.
  10. ^ 杜震宇戴帽泰达3–0获首胜 毅腾遭四连败. sohu (in Chinese). 30 March 2014.
  11. ^ 收获“大四喜” 我们正在见证一个最好的武磊. Eastday.com (in Chinese). 19 March 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
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  13. ^ 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). 7 November 2018.
  14. ^ 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). 21 November 2018.
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  22. ^ "China star Wu Lei nets Espanyol's fastest goal in Europe". South China Morning Post. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  23. ^ "China star Wu Lei's Barcelona goal makes history and gives Espanyol vital La Liga point". South China Morning Post. 5 January 2020.
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  33. ^ "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.
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  41. ^ "AFC MEN TEAM 2020". IFFHS. 16 December 2020.
  42. ^ "IFFHS MAN TEAM - AFC - OF THE DECADE 2011-2020". IFFHS. 30 January 2021.

External links[]

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