Wu Lei facts for kids
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Wu with China at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 19 November 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nanjing, Jiangsu, China | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Shanghai Port | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Genbao Football Academy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2018 | Shanghai SIPG | 296 | (151) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Espanyol | 103 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Shanghai Port | 78 | (64) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | China U16 | 8 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | China U19 | 9 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010– | China | 99 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 2024 |
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| Wu Lei | |||||||||
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| Chinese | 武磊 | ||||||||
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Wu Lei (Chinese: 武磊; pinyin: Wǔ Lěi; born on November 19, 1991) is a professional footballer from China. He plays as a striker for the Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port and is also a key player for the China national team. Many people think Wu Lei is one of the best Chinese players of his time and one of the greatest Chinese strikers ever.
He holds the record for being the top goalscorer for Shanghai Port, with over 200 goals. He is also the all-time top goalscorer in the Chinese Super League, having scored 165 goals. Wu Lei also set a record for being the youngest player to play in a professional Chinese league match, at just 14 years and 287 days old.
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
Wu Lei was born in Nanjing, China, and loved football from a very young age. When he was younger, a youth academy turned him down because he was too small. However, with a recommendation, he went to Shanghai in 2003 to join the Genbao Football Base.
The founder of the base, Xu Genbao, saw Wu Lei train just once and decided to accept him. In 2005, Wu Lei and his teammates became part of Shanghai East Asia, a club co-founded by Xu Genbao.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Strong at Shanghai SIPG
Wu Lei began his professional football journey with Shanghai East Asia, which was then a third-tier team. He made his first appearance on September 2, 2006, at 14 years and 287 days old. This made him the youngest player ever to play professional football in China.
He helped his team win the third-tier title in 2007, which meant they moved up to the second tier. Wu Lei scored his first goal on August 30, 2008, becoming the second-youngest goalscorer in Chinese football history.
On March 8, 2013, Wu Lei scored in his very first Chinese Super League game. He scored three goals in a single game (a "hat-trick") three times in 2013. On July 31, 2016, he scored another hat-trick, becoming the first Chinese player in over two years to do so in the Chinese Super League. On March 18, 2018, he scored four goals in one match!
On August 11, 2018, Wu Lei scored his 89th Chinese Super League goal, breaking the record for the most goals in the competition. He helped Shanghai SIPG win the 2018 Chinese Super League title that year. He also won the Golden Boot award for scoring 27 goals, becoming the first Chinese player to win it since 2007. He was also named the Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year.
Playing in Spain with Espanyol
On January 28, 2019, Wu Lei moved to La Liga club RCD Espanyol in Spain. He signed a three-year contract. He made his first appearance for Espanyol on February 3, 2019. More than 40 million people in China watched this game, as he was one of the few Chinese players playing outside of Asia. He was only the second Chinese footballer to play in La Liga.
On March 2, 2019, Wu Lei scored his first goal for Espanyol, becoming the first Chinese player to score in La Liga. On May 18, 2019, he scored a goal that helped Espanyol qualify for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.
He made his UEFA Europa League debut on July 25, 2019. A month later, he scored his first goal in that competition, which was the fastest goal in the club's European history. On October 3, 2019, Wu Lei became the first Chinese footballer to score in the main stages of a European competition. On January 4, 2020, he became the first Chinese player to score against Barcelona, scoring a late goal to tie the game.
Espanyol was relegated from La Liga in 2020 but quickly returned the next year by winning the 2020–21 Segunda División. On August 15, 2021, Wu Lei played his 100th game for the club.
Coming Back to Shanghai Port
On August 11, 2022, Wu Lei returned to Shanghai Port in the Chinese Super League. He signed a contract until 2027. He played his first game back on September 20, 2022. On September 29, 2022, he scored two goals in a game. On October 24, 2022, he scored a hat-trick.
On October 29, 2023, Wu Lei won his second league title with Shanghai Port. On November 4, 2023, he scored two goals, reaching 200 goals for the club and tying the record for most goals in Chinese top-division history with 131 goals.
On September 21, 2024, Wu Lei scored two goals, bringing his league total for the season to 31 goals. This broke the record for the most goals scored in a single Chinese Super League season. On November 2, 2024, he scored two more goals in the final league game, helping Shanghai Port win their second Chinese Super League title in a row. He finished the season with 34 goals. He also won his first Chinese FA Cup trophy in 2024, even though he missed the final due to injury.
As of the end of the 2024 season, Wu Lei is the Chinese Super League's all-time top goalscorer with 165 goals.
Playing for His Country
Wu Lei was called up to the Chinese under-20 national team in 2009. He scored nine goals in five games during the qualification matches for the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship. Because he scored so many goals, he was called up to the Chinese national team for the 2010 East Asian Football Championship. He made his debut on February 14, 2010.
He scored his first goal for China on July 28, 2013, in a game against Australia. On January 11, 2019, Wu Lei scored two goals in a game against the Philippines at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. On October 8, 2021, he scored two goals against Vietnam in a World Cup qualification match, including a winning goal in injury time.
Wu Lei was part of China's team for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. China did not score any goals in the tournament and was eliminated after the group stage.
Player Style and Recognition
How Wu Lei Plays
Wu Lei is known for his great goalscoring ability and how well he moves without the ball. He is very fast, especially when his team is counterattacking. Wu Lei can play anywhere in the attacking part of the field. While he often plays as a main striker or a second striker, he can also play as a winger on either side of the field.
What People Say About Him
Many people have praised Wu Lei's skills. His former manager, Gao Hongbo, said that Wu's ability to score goals is natural and that he is a very talented player. In 2013, his mentor, Xu Genbao, who helped him develop, even called him "China's Maradona" (a famous Argentine football legend).
When Wu Lei moved to Espanyol in 2019, it got a lot of attention in China. Over 25 million fans in China watched the game where he scored his first goal for the club.
Personal Life
Wu Lei is from the Hui ethnic group. When he was young, he was described as a shy person. He used football as a way to deal with difficulties his family faced. He married his girlfriend, Zhong Jiabei, in 2014. They have two children, a daughter and a son.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Shanghai SIPG | 2006 | China League Two | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2007 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2008 | China League One | 24 | 4 | — | — | — | 24 | 4 | ||||
| 2009 | 22 | 6 | — | — | — | 22 | 6 | |||||
| 2010 | 23 | 10 | — | — | — | 23 | 10 | |||||
| 2011 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 12 | ||||
| 2012 | 30 | 17 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 17 | ||||
| 2013 | Chinese Super League | 27 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 15 | |||
| 2014 | 28 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 12 | ||||
| 2015 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 33 | 16 | ||||
| 2016 | 30 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | — | 42 | 22 | |||
| 2017 | 28 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 5 | — | 47 | 26 | |||
| 2018 | 29 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 41 | 29 | |||
| Total | 296 | 151 | 17 | 5 | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 344 | 169 | ||
| Espanyol | 2018–19 | La Liga | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 2 | — | 49 | 8 | |||
| 2020–21 | Segunda División | 31 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 23 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 27 | 2 | |||
| Total | 103 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 16 | ||
| Shanghai Port | 2022 | Chinese Super League | 12 | 11 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 16 | 13 | ||
| 2023 | 30 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 18 | |||
| 2024 | 30 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 38 | ||
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | ||
| Total | 78 | 64 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 70 | ||
| Career total | 477 | 225 | 35 | 14 | 47 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 560 | 255 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| 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 | 10 | 9 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 11 | 5 | |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | |
| Total | 99 | 36 | |
Honours and Awards
Wu Lei has won many awards and championships throughout his career:
With Shanghai Port
- Chinese Super League: 2018, 2023, 2024
- China League One: 2012
- China League Two: 2007
- Chinese FA Cup: 2024
With Espanyol
- Segunda División: 2020–21
With China National Team
- East Asian Football Championship: 2010
Individual Awards
- Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year: 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024
- AFC Champions League All-Star Squad: 2016, 2017
- Chinese Super League Golden Boot winner (most goals): 2018, 2024
- Chinese Super League Domestic Golden Boot winner (most goals by a Chinese player): 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2024
- Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024
- Chinese Footballer of the Year: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2019
- IFFHS AFC Man Team of the Year: 2020
- IFFHS AFC Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020
- IFFHS Asian Men's Team of All Time: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Wu Lei para niños
