In 2023, Wu Lei was honored with the Chinese Golden Ball Award, becoming the fourth player ever to win the award. Journalist Yin Bo gives his unique insight into this event.
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Wu Lei won the highest honor in Chinese soccer in 2023, but has unironically become the subject of ridicule on social media. He himself seemed to feel a little embarrassed, after all, after the Super Bowl loss, he had an internal thought of not winning the award. Though he eventually stood on the podium, his expression still revealed embarrassment, and it was hard to hide the complexity of his heart. This is not Wu Lei's pain alone, but a common dilemma faced by the entire Chinese soccer world.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Wu Lei has won China's Golden Ball Award, and this is the first year that he has been present to receive the award in person. The first three times he won the award, Wu Lei was in the Spanish club, and the trophy was sent to Barcelona by the organizers. These four awards have witnessed the process of Chinese soccer's growth and decline. I remember when he won the first two awards, the first was the only player in the Chinese Super League to play in Europe's top five leagues, and the second was the peak of his overseas career. However, the third award was rather embarrassing, when Wu Lei was already marginalized by the Spaniards, yet still made the list three times. The loss of talent in Chinese soccer and the downward trend of the river is thus evident.
This fourth award, with "barely" to describe seems to be no longer appropriate, perhaps "make up the number" or "had to let Wu Lei out as a target" is more appropriate. Public opinion has ridiculed Wu Lei himself and the organizers. However, 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 meant that the organizers could only choose the Chinese Golden Ball winner among the three candidates. Wu Lei was at least a mainstay of the last Chinese Super League title. Wei Shihao made it to the top three thanks to his impressive performance against Thailand in the national preseason. 37-year-old Yu Hanchao also made it to the list of candidates unexpectedly thanks to his goal in the FA Cup final. If Wu Lei is not chosen, it is feared that he will be blamed by more fans.
Obviously, it was not Wu Lei who had to receive this honor personally, nor was it the intention of the organizers to force the selection from a large number of candidates. Chinese players offer a wealth of choices for organizers and fans, but the selection criteria cannot be too harsh. The Chinese Ballon d'Or is not an official award, but one established by the media. When it was established, it was meant to mimic the FIFA World Footballer of the Year and the European Ballon d'Or, seeking a balance between official and private awards. However, the current situation of Chinese soccer is not optimistic, and the positive role of the national football team is almost negligible. Relying solely on the support of the league and fans, clubs 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 go. It may even be difficult to find candidates for Wu Lei for the next selection early next year. If this award wants to continue, it should either be liberalized for foreign aiders and foreign coaches, or changed to Junior Future Star. It seems to be a sign that in this selection, the team won the award not from the club or the national team but from the village super with their feet on the ground. All in all, such awards can only really convince the public if the industry prospers or at least develops normally. At present, Chinese soccer can hardly match the word "golden ball".
