Wu Lei

Wu Lei (Chinese: 武磊; pinyin: Wǔ Lěi; born 19 November 1991) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Spanish club RCD Espanyol and the China national team.

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 Wu (武).
Wu Lei
武磊
Wu Lei with China PR at the 2019 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) Winger
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 66 (9)
National team‡
2007–2008 China U-17 8 (7)
2009–2010 China U-20 9 (11)
2010– China 67 (18)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 09:16, 18 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 January 2020
Wu Lei
Chinese武磊

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.

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 PFC CSKA Moscow. 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 18 January 2021[2][34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shanghai SIPG 2006 China League Two ––
2007 China League Two ––
2008 China League One 244––244
2009 China League One 226––226
2010 China League One 2310––2310
2011 China League One 251220–2712
2012 China League One 301700–3017
2013 Chinese Super League 271500–2715
2014 Chinese Super League 281200–2812
2015 Chinese Super League 301432–3316
2016 Chinese Super League 3014211074222
2017 Chinese Super League 2820611354726
2018 Chinese Super League 292741814129
Total 2981511753213347169
Espanyol 2018–19 La Liga 16300–163
2019–20 La Liga 33432132498
2020–21 Segunda División 17221–193
Total 669531328414
Career total 3641602284515431183

International
As of 14 November 2019[35][36]
National teamYearAppsGoals
China 201010
201100
201200
2013102
2014102
2015112
201681
201781
2018115
201985
Total6718

International goals
As of 14 November 2019[35][36]
Scores and results list China's goal tally first.
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.28 July 2013Olympic Stadium, Songpa-gu, South Korea Australia4–14–32013 EAFF East Asian Cup
2.15 November 2013Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'an, China Indonesia1–01–02015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
3.4 September 2014Anshan Sports Centre Stadium, Anshan, China Kuwait3–13–1Friendly
4.14 October 2014Helong Stadium, Changsha, China Paraguay2–02–1
13 December 2014Chenzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Chenzhou, China Kyrgyzstan2–04–0Friendly1
3 January 2015Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Campbelltown, Australia Oman3–14–1
5.16 June 2015Changlimithang Stadium, Thimpu, Bhutan Bhutan2–06–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.9 August 2015Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan, China Japan1–01–12015 EAFF East Asian Cup
7.29 March 2016Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'an, China Qatar2–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.5 September 2017Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar2–12–1
9.26 May 2018Jiangning Sports Center, Nanjing, China Myanmar1–01–0Friendly
10.2 June 2018Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Thailand1–02–0
11.2–0
12.16 October 2018Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, Nanjing, China Syria2–02–0
13.24 December 2018Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar Iraq1–11–2
14.11 January 2019Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Philippines1–03–02019 AFC Asian Cup
15.2–0
16.10 September 2019National Football Stadium, Malé, Maldives Maldives2–05–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
17.10 October 2019Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China Guam2–07–0
18.14 November 2019Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Syria1–11–2
1: Non FIFA 'A' international match

Honours

Club

Shanghai SIPG

International

China PR

Individual

References
  1. "FIFA Tournaments - Players & Coaches - WU Lei". FIFA.com.
  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 2012-06-27 at the Wayback Machine at eafc.online.sh.cn 02-12-2010 Retrieved 14-06-2012 (in Chinese)
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  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.
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