In 2023, Wu Lei was honored with the Chinese Golden Ball Award, the fourth time in his career. Veteran journalist Yin Bo shared insights on the event.
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The news that Wu Lei has won the 2023 Chinese Football Golden Ball Award has stirred up a furor on social media, with many netizens posting mocking comments. Wu Lei himself looked rather embarrassed by the news, admitting in an interview that he had thoughts of not winning the award after his Super Bowl loss. Although he eventually walked up to the podium, his expression still looked a bit unnatural, with joy and calmness hard to detect. In fact, this is not only a personal misfortune, but also a pain point for the whole Chinese soccer world.
Wu Lei has won the Chinese Golden Ball Award four times, and this is the first time he has been there to receive the award in person. Prior to this, the first three times he won the award, he played in the Spanish club, the trophy were sent to Barcelona by the organizers. The experience of winning these four awards is like a mirror, reflecting the process of the decline of Chinese soccer from boom to bust. Remember that his first two awards, once in the Chinese Super League, the only player playing in Europe's top five leagues, and once at the peak of his overseas career, both awards were uncontroversial. However, the third time he won the award was a bit embarrassing, as he had already been marginalized by the Spaniards, yet he still made the list three times, reflecting the decline of Chinese soccer talent and the downward spiral of the game.
This fourth time to win the award, with "barely" to describe is no longer appropriate, perhaps with "make up the number" or "had to let Wu Lei out as a target" is more apt. Public opinion ridiculed both Wu Lei himself and the organizers. However, when I checked the information, I found that before the final results were announced, the top three candidates in the first round of voting were Wei Shihao, Wu Lei and Yu Hanchao. This means that the organizers could only choose the Chinese Golden Ball winner among these three candidates. Wu Lei, as the star of the last Chinese Super League championship, is at least qualified to be in the top three. Wei Shihao makes it to the top three thanks to his outstanding performance in the National Football League preseason. The 37-year-old Yu Hanchao also unexpectedly made the list of candidates with his goal in the FA Cup final. If you don't choose Wu Lei, then you can only bear the scolding of the fans, both Wei Shihao and Yu Hanchao.
As you can see, it is not that Wu Lei personally had to receive this honor, nor did the organizers intend to take the honor away from others, but rather that the Chinese players provided numerous options for the organizers and fans. Even if the jury is changed, it will be difficult to change this status quo. The China Ballon d'Or is not an official award, but rather an award created by the media. The initial intention was to mimic the FIFA World Footballer of the Year and the European Ballon d'Or awards, seeking to strike a balance between official and private awards, and to reflect the development of Chinese soccer from different perspectives. In order to support the progress of local players and coaches, the scope of the awards is limited to the local area, excluding foreign aiders and coaches. The motivation is certainly good, but it is also a form of self-restraint. At the moment, Chinese soccer is a breath of fresh air, and the role of the national football team is almost negligible. The league relies on clubs whose fans have a home complex to keep them afloat, and the furniture clubs all rely on foreigners and foreign coaches. Therefore, after excluding foreigners, we should choose the "best". We should not expect too much.
Therefore, let Wu Lei move on. It may even be difficult to find candidates for Wu Lei for the next selection early next year. If you want to continue to hold this award, either liberalize the restrictions on foreign aid and foreign coaches, or directly change to the youth future star. It seems to be a signal that the team winners in this selection are not clubs or national teams, but the footloose village super. In short, for such an award to really win public recognition, the prerequisite is a prosperous or at least normal industry. At present, Chinese soccer is not comparable to the word "golden ball".
