As night fell on Beijing on January 15, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (iffhs) unveiled the bright stars of Asian soccer for 2022, and Japan's footballers topped the list with four of them.
The sorry landscape of the Chinese Super League
And Wu Lei, the star who once shone in the eyes of the iffhs, failed to continue his glory upon his return to the Chinese Super League.
Japan reigns supreme at the top of Asia
Since its establishment in 1984, iffhs has been dedicated to the collection of soccer data and the compilation of history, and its authority is unquestionable. Japanese players occupy four seats in the 2022 Asia's Best XI - Kamada, Minamino, Yoshida and Kwonata - making it the country with the highest number of selections.
Wu Lei (top)
South Korea's Son Sung, Hwang Hee Chan and Kim Min Ja, Saudi Arabia's Salem Dawasari and Salman Faraj, and Iran and Australia's Taremi and Biech, who also left a mark on the Qatar World Cup.
World Cup glories and regrets
Asian soccer made history on the World Cup stage as six teams made it to the round of 16, with Japan, South Korea and Australia all achieving impressive results. Saudi Arabia and Iran failed to break through to the group stage, but they comforted their fans with victories, with Saudi Arabia beating Argentina 2:1 and Iran defeating Wales 2:0.
Wu Lei's soccer journey
Wu Lei, the national soccer standout, was named to Asia's best team for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021, and was honored in 2021 as the sole representative of Chinese players on the list of Asia's best players from 2011 to 2020 published by iffhs.
However, last August, Wu Lei ended his three and a half years of study abroad and returned to Shanghai Port to join the Chinese Super League. Despite his impressive performance with 11 goals, Shanghai Port's sluggish start ultimately kept him out of the title.
Journey to the Chinese Super League
Throughout the season, Shanghai Port struggled to turn things around, and the national soccer team's premature exit from the Asian Top 12 Preliminary Round resulted in unspeakable regrets for Wu Lei as he failed to make his third Asian Best XI ahead of a lackluster report card.
