Wu Lei finally scored, the Spaniard played against Celta, he came off the bench and scored a lore goal in the 89th minute, scoring three points for the team.
This is Wu Lei’s first goal in La Liga after 666 days. The last time was against Alaves on June 13, 2020. Wu Lei’s last goal was against Sporting Cristo in the Copa del Rey 117 days ago, and his last league goal was against Sporting Gijon 490 days ago.
He has waited too long, and fans have waited too long.
After Wu Lei scored, the voices on the Weibo platform were mainly supportive and overwhelming.
Of course, there are also a few people who made sarcastic words: “I scored 16 goals in more than 100 games. Is this a forward or a defender?” “It will take another year to score a goal…”
But this kind of ridicule was quickly drowned out in the waves of support. After all, fans who really pay attention to Chinese football know how difficult it is for Wu Lei to persevere.
In the previous Feng Gong battle, the situation was just the other way around. To scold the national football team is the greatest political correctness, and various performances to take advantage of the situation are the utilitarian needs of some people.
After all, they are two groups of people.
The people who are moved by Wu Lei’s persistence are mostly fans. In the previous national war of words, many people who wanted to spit when they saw the word “Chinese football” didn’t even know who Wu Lei was, but they just vented their emotions with Pavlovian conditioning.
For Chinese football, Wu Lei is like “the only fluorescence in the darkest hour”. This netizen comment is not an exaggeration. Although it is weak, the light is still there.
Wu Lei said after the game: “It’s not that there is hope to persevere, but that there will be hope if you persevere.”
This weekend, South Korea’s Son Heung-min scored a hat-trick at Tottenham, once again envy the Chinese fans. Fortunately, Wu Lei’s goal is reminiscent of the Chinese in the five major leagues.
Son Heung-min is a world-class star, but Wu Lei is not far behind. The former has long been a thigh-like existence in the Premier League and Tottenham, while Wu Lei has sat on the bench in the Spaniard. In the past six months, he has played no more than 15 minutes in a single game. This season, he has sat on the bench 13 times without a chance to play. .
For professional players who need game time to build up their feel and form, it’s especially difficult to make a name for themselves in this situation. Many people couldn’t survive and chose to quit and give up, but Wu Lei did not give up in the trough and difficulties, which is as precious as today’s goal.
You can look down on Wu Lei’s scoring ability, but no one can say anything about his efforts.
Espanyol coach Moreno will never turn a blind eye to his efforts if he does not reuse Wu Lei. “Wu Lei is a young man who is very strict with himself and will do everything according to the requirements of the coaching staff.” “His help and efforts to the team as a whole are very worthy of recognition.”
Who is Wu Lei’s gritted teeth in the trough?
First of all for his own career, for a decent income, for the stability of his family.
After the game, Wu Lei posted a picture of his daughter watching his goal in front of the TV… We all know that children and family are the biggest motivation for a man to grit his teeth and persevere in a downturn.
This faint fluorescence is also for Chinese football.
This may sound a bit big and a bit false, but it’s actually true.
Chinese football needs a sense of presence too much, too much needs a positive sense of presence.
After Wu Lei scored, the official La Liga social media sent blessings: “When your first goal of the season is a lore!” It is “Wu Lei saves the Spaniards”, “World Sports News” called Wu Lei “this afternoon’s hero”.
Spaniard teammate Cady Barre went to Wu Lei’s social feed, left a message “the best” in Chinese, and sent an applause emoji.
All of these are the most scarce and most needed in today’s Chinese football, a positive sense of presence.
Some people say that Wu Lei is 31 years old, and his career is like this. What’s the use of playing one or two good goals like this?
People who say this forget that football needs heritage and inheritance, but what is heritage and inheritance?
Sun Jihai, who is now working on the popularization of youth training, talked about such a thing. “A youth competition was held before, and many parents said to their children: ‘Look, this is Sun Jihai, this is Wu Chengying’, but the children didn’t feel much. After all, they were not born at the 2002 World Cup.”
“I asked the children later, who is your favorite Chinese player? Almost all the children answered the same: Wu Lei.”
What’s this? This is inheritance, this is hope.
As the only Chinese player who has persisted in the five major leagues, Wu Lei’s every highlight performance is an inspiration to those in the Chinese football circle.
Especially for those children who play football, a long-lost goal by Wu Lei may become a seed buried in their hearts.
In 2019, Wu Lei accepted an official interview with UEFA and talked about this kind of inheritance: “Compared to other Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, China does have fewer players playing in Europe, so I also hope to be able to pass my own. Working hard can bring more confidence to the young players in China. I hope that more and more Chinese players will come to play in Europe in the days to come. So I still hope that through my own efforts, I will bring them more confidence. More confidence, let them see more hope.”
Yes, hope, this is the meaning of Wu Lei’s insistence overseas, and it is also what Chinese football in trouble needs most.
(Lipley)