The 2023 Ballon d'Or candidate lineup has just been unveiled, with soccer superstars such as Wu Lei, Wei Shihao, Tan Long and Wang Dalei listed. If there is no accident, Wu Lei is expected to become the biggest winner of this year's Golden Ball Award. The selection of this honor not only looks at individual glory, but also combines player data, so Wu Lei, by virtue of his individual strength, has a significant advantage among the candidates.
Wu Lei's contribution in leading Shanghai to the 2023 Chinese Super League (CSL) title was extraordinary. Especially in the Hong Kong game, he repeatedly saved the day and was a key player in the team's championship victory. It was Wu Lei's outstanding performance that enabled Shanghai to break Evergrande's long-term monopoly on the league title, and allowed Wu Lei to be honored as the local Golden Boot of the Chinese Super League and ranked at the top of the scorer list.
Looking back at Wu Lei's three past Golden Ball wins, he first folded his laurels in 2018, with the double honor of leading his Hong Kong team to win the Chinese Super League title and winning the Golden Boot; in 2019, his performance during his study abroad in La Liga led to the Golden Ball award; and in 2021, he scored as many goals as he did for the national team to win the Golden Ball again. Now, Wu Lei is expected to achieve a fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or, becoming the benchmark for active Chinese players.
However, Wu Lei is not alone in his success. Players such as Wei Shihao are not as dazzling as Wu Lei in the league and national team, but are still looking forward to surpassing him in future matches. Hopefully, Wei Shihao will shine in next season's Chinese Super League and national team matches, and hopefully beat Wu Lei in the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards to win his first career Ballon d'Or.
