In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Feb. 27, Wu Lei said that the national soccer team is no longer a second-rate team in Asia, but they are still confident that they can advance to the Round of 18 tournament.
Yesterday, Wu Lei won the China Golden Ball Award for a record fourth time. He expressed his excitement: "This award makes me very happy. When I won the award for the first time, I just came to Spain, and at that time, my status and the atmosphere of Chinese soccer may be in the stage of improvement. In the past few years, the soccer environment has not been very good, and I would like to thank the organizers, judges and fans for continuing to pay attention to and support Chinese soccer under such circumstances. Although the overall situation of Chinese soccer has not been good in recent years, the organizers have been persistent in setting a good example of Chinese soccer."
Chinese soccer is currently facing challenges, Wu Lei said: "In difficult times, it is all the more important for us to persevere and not give up. If practitioners lack confidence, the future of Chinese soccer may become more and more bleak. Despite the heavy pressure on the players, we should go all out to show our best form and try to fulfill the higher expectations of our fans."
Wu Lei is confident about the upcoming season: "We definitely hope to continue to compete for the title. The new coach has brought in many new ideas and tactics, and we have been gradually bonding during the winter training. Although we lost in the Super Cup, we still showed some strength. I have plenty of confidence in the team and believe that as the league progresses, the team's overall coordination will get better and better. It's really challenging for the Chinese Super League teams to win the AFC Champions League at the moment, but I still want to help the team to go further in the AFC Champions League. My role will change as I get older. The team now has many players full of potential and I am willing to assist and guide them and pass on my valuable experience to them, which is what I strive to do."
Regarding the policy of using five foreign aiders, Wu Lei expressed his opinion: "Adding more foreign aiders can improve the rhythm of the game and the overall strength of the team, and it will also make the competition among domestic players more intense. This requires us to work hard in every day's training and maintain good condition to compete with foreign aiders for positions. It's a good thing for the league as a whole, and raising the overall tempo will have a positive impact on the domestic players."
China's national soccer team failed to win and score any goals in the Asian Cup, and was eventually eliminated from the tournament. Wu Lei confessed: "I can clearly feel the progress of other Asian teams in the Asian Cup, and their soccer playing style follows the world trend. If we stagnate, the gap with our opponents will become bigger and bigger. We must recognize that our current level can no longer be ranked in the second position in Asia."
However, for the upcoming 36-team tournament, Vu Lei remains confident of advancing to the 18-team tournament: "This is a mission we have to fulfill. We are confident that we will play well in the four world qualifiers in March and June to advance to the Round of 18. We will work together and move forward in the right direction with our feet firmly planted on the ground, and we believe that the improvement of the level of Chinese soccer will not be too far away.
