Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
Seated, Xu Genbao threw a pointed question: "I always say, you Wu Lei non-star, but a unique player, you agree with yourself? Do you agree? Wu Lei calmly responded: "Indeed, our team's overall strength needs to be improved."
Xu Genbao continued, "It depends on the standard, in China you are a star, but compared to the world's top stars, the standard is naturally different. My definition of a star is perhaps more strict." Nodding his head, Wu Lei confessed, "When I was abroad, I was hailed as 'the hope of the whole village', which reflects both the support of everyone and the fact that we have very few players who can gain a foothold in the Europa League. Compared with Sun Xingyu, I know I have a far gap, he is the real star ......"
Xu Genbao once bluntly commented on Wu Lei: "In fact, I have added that if the Chinese soccer world is full of distinctive players like you, the national football team may still have a glimmer of hope. There should also be unique players in the midfield and defender positions so that the overall level can be raised."
Xu Genbao believes that ball players should assume the role of team pillars, and sometimes even sway the battle. "When Yao Ming is on the team, the Chinese men's basketball team is bound to win the Asian championship, but once he was absent, we failed to win the championship." He cited an example that when Yung Zhixing was in Guangdong, the team's level was sky-high, but if he didn't play, the team faced a relegation crisis.
Xu Genbao was the head coach of both the Chinese National Olympic Team and the National Football Team, but he had to step down quickly when the team failed to qualify. In 2000, Xu Genbao went to Chongming Island to establish the Genbao Soccer Base, cultivating soccer talents for China and Shanghai, discovering Wu Lei, Yan Junling, Zhang Linpeng, Zhu Chenjie and other new international players, and contributing to the development of Chinese soccer. He has contributed to the development of Chinese soccer.
For the first time in the 2022 Qatar World Cup cycle, China's men's football team is using non-blooded naturalized players, but it is still homegrown player Wu Lei who is really at the heart of the attack. "In the World Qualifiers, your goals and penalties are crucial, reflecting the impact of the stars on the team." Xu Genbao throughout the attention of the National Football League World Preliminary 12, Wu Lei put forward higher requirements: "I want you to participate in the midfield organization, you can also pass the threatening ball; at the same time, your speed and breakthrough is also worth looking forward to. Of course, I have high requirements for you, do you have any comments?"
Wu Lei said, "Director Xu is right. Soccer is a team sport, any player is just a part of the system. Individual performance needs to be supported by the whole, only a strong team, the role of the individual can be greater; if the overall performance is poor, even if the individual performance is excellent, the role will be limited."
Recently, 106 young players gathered at Genbao Base to participate in Shanghai's 2007-2008 age group outstanding players selection training. Xu Genbao acted as the leader of the group, selecting the best players to participate in the Shanghai Stars of Tomorrow Championship Cup, which was held from October 1 to 4 at the Pudong Football Stadium. Wu Lei expressed his admiration for his mentor Xu Genbao's commitment to youth training and planning for his future.
Wu Lei revealed that he did not personally coach his son in soccer during his stay, but he knew Barcelona and Espanyol players like the back of his hand during school. He believes that the soccer atmosphere of a country and a city is crucial. China has many talented young players, the key lies in how to dig and cultivate. He said he hopes to apply what he has learned from his stay on the field and promised that he will not leave soccer in his future life. (Chen Hua, Shangguan News)
