In an exclusive interview with Sports Weekly on March 15, Wu Lei discussed in depth the current situation of the Chinese Super League and the evolution of his career.
Facing the level of competition in the Chinese Super League
In terms of technical and tactical aspects and tournament viewing, the Chinese Super League is undoubtedly inferior to the glory of 2017. 2018 has also seen a reduction in the intensity and excitement of the tournament. At that time, the Chinese Super League teams had a strong lineup of foreign aiders, with whom they played and trained side by side at a much different pace. Nowadays, the overall level of foreign aid in the Chinese Super League has declined, and the growth environment for local young players is not as good as it should be.
How has the decline in the overall standard of the league affected domestic players? And how has your role changed?
In fact, my role has been evolving since 2013, when I first stepped into the Chinese Super League. At that time, the team didn't have many foreign players. Our homegrown players were seamlessly integrated with the foreigners, and I took on more responsibilities as a result. With the arrival of Konka, Hulk and Oscar, my role in front of goal changed significantly, mainly to support them. After my experience in Europe and my return to Hong Kong, my role has evolved again, not only to shoulder the load in matches, but also to mentor my younger teammates. As I get older, I am also actively looking for changes and experimenting with new roles and positions. Nowadays, there are a number of new talents in the Hong Kong team with potential, and it is my duty to guide them and develop them.
A little more about the national team. In last year's world qualifiers, you made a crucial draw away in Thailand to equalize the score in memorable scenes.
This, then, is the most natural duty of a striker! The ball is there, and if you have a chance to touch it, you have to do your best (to shoot it in). At the time, I thought the ball had its own way of scoring, and no other thought crossed my mind... It's a striker's instinct and it's what I'm supposed to do for the team.
