.jpg) Wu withChina at the2019 AFC Asian Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1991-11-19)19 November 1991 (age 34)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nanjing,Jiangsu, China | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | 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) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 September 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wu Lei | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 武磊 | ||||||||
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Wu Lei (Chinese:武磊;pinyin:Wǔ Lěi; born 19 November 1991) is a Chinese professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forChinese Super League clubShanghai Port and theChina national team. Wu is widely regarded as one of the best Chinese players of his generation and one of the best Chinese strikers of all time.
He is the all-time top goalscorer for Shanghai Port with more than 200 goals, and the all-time Chinese Super League top goalscorer with 165 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.
Wu was born inNanjing and developed a passion for football at an early age. Turned down byJiangsu Sainty's youth academy for being too small, Wu took a recommendation letter from former Chinese footballer Li Hongbing and went toShanghai to apply for theGenbao 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 joinedShanghai East Asia, which was jointly founded by Xu Genbao.[5]
Wu started his football career playing for third-tier sideShanghai East Asia, making his debut for the club on 2 September 2006 in a 5–3 loss againstYunnan 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 againstQingdao Hailifeng. This made him the second youngest goalscorer in Chinese football aged 16 years and 289 days, just 47 days behindCao Yunding's record.[7]
On 8 March 2013, Wu scored on his Chinese Super League debut, in a 4–1 away defeat atBeijing Guoan.[8] Wu scored a hat-trick on 2 June 2013 in a 6–1 win againstShanghai 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 againstTianjin Teda. He scored his third hat-trick of the season on 27 September 2013 in a 6–1 win againstQingdao Jonoon. On 31 July 2016, Wu became the first Chinese footballer in over two years to score a hat-trick in theChinese Super League in a 3–3 draw againstGuangzhou 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 afterLi Jinyu.[12]
On 11 August 2018, Wu scored his 89th Chinese Super League goal in a 2–0 home win againstShanghai Greenland Shenhua, becoming the competition's record goalscorer, surpassing previous record of 88 by formerShandong Luneng strikerHan Peng.[13] Wu won the2018 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 first Chinese footballer to win the award sinceDu Zhenyu in 2007.[15]
On 28 January 2019, Wu transferred toLa Liga sideRCD 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 againstVillarreal, 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 afterZhang Chengdong. On 9 February 2019, he came on as a substitute and earned a penalty which produced the equalizer in a 2–1 win againstRayo Vallecano. On 17 February 2019, Wu became the first Chinese footballer to start a La Liga match in a 0–0 draw againstValencia CF.[19] Wu scored his first goal for the club on 2 March 2019 in a 3–1 win againstReal 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 againstCelta. On 18 May 2019, Wu scored his third goal for the club in a 2–0 win againstReal Sociedad, securing Espanyol's spot in the2019–20 UEFA Europa League qualifying stages.[citation needed]
On 25 July 2019, Wu made hisUEFA Europa League debut in the qualifying rounds in a 4–0 win againstStjarnan, coming on as a substitute forEsteban Granero. A month later, he scored his first goal in the same competition in a 3–0 win againstLuzern.[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 againstCSKA Moscow.[24] On 4 January 2020, Wu became the first Chinese player to score againstBarcelona, 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 of2019–20 La Liga but made an immediate return in the following year after winning the2020–21 Segunda División. On 15 August 2021, Wu made his 100th appearance for the club in a 0–0 away draw atCA Osasuna.[26]
On 11 August 2022, Wu returned toChinese Super League clubShanghai Port signing a contract until 2027.[27] On 20 September 2022, Wu made his second debut for Shanghai Port in a 2–1 win againstHenan Songshan Longmen. On 29 September 2022, he scored his first 2 goals after returning in a 3–0 win againstChengdu Rongcheng. On 24 October 2022, he scored a hat trick in a 7–0 win againstMeizhou Hakka.
On 29 October 2023, Wu won his second league title with Shanghai Port after a 1-1 home draw against direct competitorShandong Taishan.[28] On 4 November 2023, he came on as a substitute and scored twice in a 3-2 away win againstDalian Professional which saw the relegation of the opponent; his second goal in the game was his 200th for the club and also his 131st in the Chinese Super League, which again tied him with former teammateElkeson as the top goal scorer of Chinese top-division history.
On 21 September 2024, Wu scored a brace in a 4-3 away win againstChangchun Yatai, brought his league tally of the season to 31 goals, surpassingEran Zahavi's record of 29 goals in 2019 as the highest goalscorer in a single Chinese Super League season.[29] On 2 November 2024, Wu scored another brace in a 5-0 home win againstTianjin Jinmen Tiger in the final league game of the season, helped Shanghai Port become the second team to successfully defend the Chinese Super league title, and ended his own league tally with 34 goals.[30] Wu missed out the 2024 Chinese FA Cup final againstShandong Taishan due to injuries, but as the team won 3-1 he still garnered the first Chinese FA Cup trophy in his career.[31]
As of the end of the 2024 season, Wu is Chinese Super League's all-time goalscorer with 165 goals.
Wu was called up to theChinese under-20 national team in 2009 and scored nine goals in five matches during the2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification matches.[32] His impressive goalscoring performances saw him called up to theChinese national team for the2010 East Asian Football Championship, making his debut on 14 February 2010 in a 2–0 win againstHong Kong.[33]
Several months later, Wu returned to the under-20 national team for the2010 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 againstAustralia at the2013 EAFF East Asian Cup.[34]
On 11 January 2019, Wu scored twice in a 3–0 win againstPhilippines at the group stage of2019 AFC Asian Cup.[35] On 8 October 2021, Wu scored twice in a 3–2 win againstVietnam in the2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, including heading in an injury time winner.[36]
Wu was named in China's squad for the2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. He was heavily criticised for missing an open goal in the second group stage game againstLebanon which finished goalless. China failed to score a single goal in the tournament and was eliminated after the group stage.
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 astriker andsecond striker, he often plays as awinger and can operate on either flank.[37]
Wu's goalscoring prowess drew praise from former managerGao Hongbo, who stated, "Wu's scoring ability is innate, making him a gifted player."[38] In 2013, former mentorXu Genbao, who has been attributed to helping develop Wu, described him as "China'sMaradona".[39] Wu's performances during the2013 Copa del Sol caught the eye ofMolde FK's managerOle 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."[40]
Wu's transfer fromShanghai SIPG toLa Liga sideEspanyol on 28 January 2019 drew widespread attention amongst Chinese media outlets. According toPPTV, the official broadcaster of La Liga in China, more than 25 million fans in China watched Espanyol win 3–1 againstReal Valladolid, in which Wu scored his first goal for the club.[41]
Wu is ofHui ethnicity.[42] Wu Lei was described as a shy person in his youth, and he sought football as an effort to overcome family hardship.[43] He married his girlfriend Zhong Jiabei (仲佳蓓) in 2014 and has two children, a daughter and a son.[44][45]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other[b] | 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[c] | 7 | — | 42 | 22 | |||
| 2017 | 28 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13[c] | 5 | — | 47 | 26 | |||
| 2018 | 29 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 8[c] | 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[d] | 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[c] | 0 | — | 32 | 18 | |||
| 2024 | 30 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 2[e] | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 38 | ||
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0[e] | 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 | ||
| 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 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 July 2013 | Olympic Stadium,Seoul, 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 | Friendly |
| 5 | 16 June 2015 | Changlimithang Stadium,Thimphu, 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 | 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 Stadium,Bangkok, Thailand |  Thailand | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 11 | 2–0 | |||||
| 12 | 16 October 2018 | Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, Nanjing, China |  Syria | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 13 | 24 December 2018 | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Iraq | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 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 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 18 | 14 November 2019 | Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium,Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Syria | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19 | 30 May 2021 | Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre,Suzhou, China | Guam | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 20 | 3–0 | |||||
| 21 | 7 June 2021 | Sharjah Stadium,Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | Philippines | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 11 June 2021 | Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | Maldives | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 23 | 15 June 2021 | Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | Syria | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 24 | 7 October 2021 | Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |  Vietnam | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 25 | 3–2 | |||||
| 26 | 11 November 2021 | Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |  Oman | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 27 | 16 November 2021 | Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | Australia | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 28 | 16 June 2023 | Dalian Barracuda Bay Football Stadium,Dalian, China | Myanmar | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 29 | 4–0 | |||||
| 30 | 20 June 2023 | Dalian Barracuda Bay Football Stadium, Dalian, China |  Palestine | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 31 | 10 October 2023 | Dalian Sports Center Stadium, Dalian, China | Vietnam | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 32 | 16 November 2023 | Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand | Thailand | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 33 | 21 March 2024 | Singapore National Stadium, Singapore |  Singapore | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 34 | 2–0 | |||||
| 35 | 26 March 2024 | Tianjin Olympic Centre,Tianjin, China | Singapore | 1–0 | 4–1 | |
| 36 | 3–1 |
Shanghai Port
Espanyol
China PR
Individual
China squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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