Domestic media have reported that Wu Lei, known as the "light of the national football team", has surpassed South Korea's Son in the number of goals scored in the World Preliminary League, but has not been able to grasp the opportunity to prove himself in La Liga, a situation that has attracted widespread attention in the South Korean media.
South Korean media is tracking reports that Wu Lei, who bid farewell to Shanghai Seaport and moved to Espanyol in 2019, has been given some appearances and has scored some goals, but it seems to be a long way off to become a starter for the team.
In the new season, with the team's promotion from Liga B to Liga MX, Wu Lei contributed a total of 1 goal and 1 assist in 20 games, including cup games.
Nevertheless, it's not like Wu Lei wasn't given a chance. In the second half, he often plays as the "odd man out" on the bench, and in the 2022 league he played only 27 minutes, not even in the first half of the first 10 league matches.
Domestically, there is a mix of concern and anger among fans. Domestic media reports indicate that fans have become accustomed to Wu Lei's appearances as a substitute, and that he always comes on at the end of the game, although he has scored one goal in the Copa del Rey, which is not of much value.
Domestic media further pointed out that although Wu Lei has scored more goals than Son in the WC, he has had few chances to prove himself in La Liga.
Wu Lei has scored 12 goals and ranked second in Asia in the Asian qualifying round of the World Cup, while Son has scored only six goals in the intensive tournament. Although the number of goals is not as high as Wu Lei, Korean media emphasized that Sun's performance is perfect. He scored twice in the just-concluded match against West Ham in the English Premier League, becoming the first Korean player to travel to Europe to reach 200 goals in his career, and was named a world-class player on the official website of the Premier League along with Harry Kane.
