Wu Lei

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.

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 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 40 (27)
International career‡
2007–2008 China U17 8 (7)
2009–2010 China U20 9 (11)
2010– China 87 (31)
Medal record
Representing  China
East Asian Football Championship
Winner2010 Japan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 October 2023
Wu Lei
Chinese武磊

Wu is the all-time top goalscorer for Shanghai SIPG with 185 goals, and the second all-time top goalscorer in Chinese Super League history with 116 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. He has scored the second most international goals for China of all time and the most among active players.

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 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]

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.[33]

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."[34] In 2013, former mentor Xu Genbao, who has been attributed to helping develop Wu, described him as "China's Maradona".[35] 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."[36]

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.[37]

Personal life

Wu is of Hui ethnicity and a Muslim by his faith.[38] Wu Lei was described as a shy person at his youth, and he sought football as an effort to overcome family hardship.[39] He married his girlfriend Zhong Jiabei (仲佳蓓) in 2014 and has two children, a daughter and a son.[40][41]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 20 October 2023[2][42]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shanghai SIPG 2006 China League Two ––
2007 ––
2008 China League One 244––244
2009 226––226
2010 2310––2310
2011 251220–2712
2012 301700–3017
2013 Chinese Super League 271500–2715
2014 281200–2812
2015 301432–3316
2016 3014211074222
2017 2820611354726
2018 292741814129
Total 2961511753113344169
Espanyol 2018–19 La Liga 16300–163
2019–20 33432132498
2020–21 Segunda División 31231–343
2021–22 La Liga 23141–272
Total 1031010413212616
Shanghai Port 2022 Chinese Super League 121142–1613
2023 281610103016
Total 402752104629
Career total 43918832114515516214

International
As of match played 10 October 2023[43][44]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
China 201010
201100
201200
2013102
2014102
2015112
201681
201781
2018115
201985
202000
2021109
202220
202384
Total8731
As of 10 October 2023[43][44]
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 National 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

    Honours

    Shanghai SIPG

    Espanyol

    China PR

    Individual

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