Who is Wu Lei? Espanyol star dubbed the ‘Chinese Maradona’ and tipped for the top by Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Who is Wu Lei? Espanyol star dubbed the ‘Chinese Maradona’ and tipped for the top by Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Espanyol unearthed a gem with their latest signing Wu Lei.The Chinese forward was signed by the Catalan club for just 1.8million in January from Shanghai SIPG and it appears to be a masterful piece of business by the club.Wu moved to Espanyol in January for 1.8million3
Wu moved to Espanyol in January for 1.8million
La Periquitos’ owner is Chinese billionaire Chen Yansheng – and he has said he is keen on the profile of LaLiga to be amped up in his homeland.In light of this, Chen signed Wu and the move has already drawn the focus of millions of Chinese on his club.Wu’s 12 minute debut in LaLiga against Villareal astonishingly attracted over 40million viewers from the Far East – dwarfing the domestic figures of 177,000 viewers on the match from around SpainJust 48 hours after he was signed, 2,000 shirts with Wu’s name printed on it had already been purchased. With China representing a seventh of the world’s population, more and more Chinese are likely to tune in to watch Wu’s every move which will only draw more profits as his progression continues.But who is Wu and how did he become the cult hero he is in China today?

Wu Lei factfile

Name: Wu LeiBorn: July 30, 1991, Nanjing, Jiangsu, ChinaPosition: ForwardCareer highlight: All-time top scorer in Chinese Super League (101 goals)

Shanghai Swoon

Wu started his career with Chinese third division side Shanghai SIPG – the club where he would go onto make almost 300 league appearances and average more than a goal every two games.He made his debut in September 2006 at the age of 14, becoming the youngest player ever to play professional Chinese football.In the following seasons, Wu was slowly integrated into the team as his side gradually made their way up the divisions in China.His good performances helped his side to promotion to the second division and he was eventually handed his first international debut for China in February 2010 – where he has gone onto scored 15 goals in 63 appearances.Wu in action for China against Uzbekistan3
Wu in action for China against Uzbekistan
When Shanghai were eventually promoted to the Chinese Super League, Wu made an instant impact after scoring a hat-trick for the club to become the second youngest player to score a treble in the top-tier.He continued to impress in the red shirt and last season was undoubtedly his best as he scooped the Chinese Super League Player of the Year and the Golden Boot after netting 27 times.In his record-breaking season he also broke the all-time top scoring record in the Chinese Super League (101) – and after being dubbed the ‘Chinese Maradona’, there were no surprises when the likes of Barcelona and Wolves were tipped to sign him last summer.

Espanyol

In January, Wu moved to LaLiga side Espanyol for 1.8million on a three-year deal.He made his debut against Villarreal after coming on as a substitute for 12 minutes and extraordinarily attracted 40million Chinese viewers.Since his debut, Wu has made four appearances. Hecame off the bench and earned his side a penalty as his side drew 2-2 with Rayo Vallecano.He also scored his first goal for the club earlier this month as his side beat Real Valladolid – becoming the first Chinese footballer to score in LaLiga.

What have people said?

Former Italy boss Marcelo Lippi, who managed Wu in China, said: Wu has been performing very well lately, no matter whether it is in the league or with the national team.Im very satisfied with his performance. His effort on the pitch was clear to all and he always creates opportunities at key moments.While Manchester United’s caretaker manager, Ole Gunnar Solskaer, once targeted him while managing Norweigan side Molde and said: “If he moves to Molde, I think he can improve well enough to play for an English Premier League side in a year.Solskjaer has previously heaped praise on Wu3
Solskjaer has previously heaped praise on Wu


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