At dawn on the 6th, when the smoke of the 20th round of the Swiss Super League filled the air, Grasshoppers suffered an unexpected 3-1 defeat in front of their own door, the opponent was none other than Zurich. At this moment, our player Li Lei came on as a substitute in the 77th minute and officially stepped onto the professional stage with a brand new identity - Grasshoppers' player. He delivered 23 touches, 8 accurate passes, 1 successful long pass, and an overall rating of 6.8 points. But behind this, Li Lei's dedication is far more than these numbers can measure.
Due to injuries, Li Lei missed the national soccer team's two Top 12 matches with Japan and Vietnam, avoiding the embarrassment of consecutive defeats, but also experiencing the loneliness of being away from home. Over the past month, in addition to training hard, he has been learning the language and mastering overseas living skills. Injuries and illnesses have disturbed him, but his will and determination have allowed him to return to training quickly, and perhaps the most difficult thing for him to bear is the strong feeling of homesickness.
"This year's New Year's Eve has been quite a trance, and it feels like there's not much of a New Year's Eve over here."
During the Lunar New Year, while people in his country were immersed in joy, Li Lei had to spend it alone. He found a place to eat 30 dumplings and nothing else.
On the field in Europe, Li Lei has experienced many different things, and his biggest feeling is that as a player, in addition to training and playing, he has to learn to take care of his life independently. Even during his recuperation, he maintains good diet and exercise habits.
Early in the morning of the 6th, Grasshoppers hosted Zurich, and Li Lei was selected for the first time in the official match squad. Although only as a substitute, he showed his strength on the field. According to statistics, he played 13 minutes, won 2 ground confrontation chances, 2 air confrontation chances, and also got 1 foul, accumulated 23 touches, 8 passes, and 1 successful long pass, and finally got a rating of 6.8 points, which was tied with other players in the team for the third place.
For Li Lei, being able to get a chance to play in the Euroleague is a great encouragement in itself. He knows that every opportunity is precious and every training moment is worth cherishing. Here, he learned how to face challenges with more maturity, and to cherish every chance he gets to play.
