July 29, 2011 - On the verge of returning home, the
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
Interviewed by Phoenix to talk deeply about his changes and insights over the past 3.5 years.
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
Indicates that he is almost done talking about his return.
PHOENIX SPORTS: You haven't been training with the team in Marbella recently, are you basically sure you're coming back.
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
: Almost there.
PHOENIX SPORT: You had a low point last season, but got your form back before the end of the season. A lot of people thought you were going to be at Barcelona for a lot longer.
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
The winter at the beginning of this year was the most difficult, not to mention the other years, but only on the competitive level. At that time, I thought about whether to move, but specifically whether to return home or go to other parts of Europe did not want to be so specific, but did want to move, because I felt that I was not able to bring any help to the team, and that kind of participation is not as strong as before. However, the head coach told me to stay for six months and see how it went, so I could hold on for a bit longer. I was suffering inside for a while and the idea of changing teams kept lingering. After he told me that, I still had a wave of reluctance. Because it wasn't easy to come out, if I really went back to my home country at that time, I would still be upset. So I made up my mind to fight again. From the process and the result, it paid off. In the end, I was able to score a goal.
PHOENIX SPORTS: How did this difficulty at the athletic level come about?
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
: A lot of factors. There's my own body and there's the competitive environment. It's very competitive here, with 18 and 19 year olds coming up and this tiger energy. I'm 31 years old and I can feel that physically I don't look like them, or even like I did three or four years ago. The level of youth training on their side is very high and you don't see it until you're inside the team. If he wanted to replace the whole team with youngsters, there would be no problem at all, as strong as that, but he can't replace them all, so one or two spots are squeezed in each year.
PHOENIX SPORT: There are rumors about you staying or going in almost every transfer window, is it disruptive for you.
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
I understand everyone, I play in the top five leagues, there is no one else in China, so they all pay attention to me. It's not realistic to be completely untroubled, after all, I also read the online news. When I can't play soccer, people say you change the team, go. In the past two days the news that I'm going back to China came out, and again some people said, it's better to stay in the
Spaniard
The Good. I still have to have my own independent thinking and figure out what's best for me.
PHOENIX SPORTS: In
Spaniard
After 3.5 years of playing, what kind of relationship do you feel you have with the club now?
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
: I've been through a lot since I've been here, getting into the UEFA Europa League after many years, getting relegated, and then playing back. In the last game of last season, I saw my opponent relegated at Granada, and I was sending a message to my friends that I had experienced everything. It's
Spaniard
The club allowed me to fulfill my dream and experience the culture of European soccer. Even if I go back later or
demobilize
Oh, yeah.
Spaniard
The game I'll definitely be following. It's already emotional.
