Interview with Wu Lei: "Why don't you be afraid of hardships and dangers, why are you brave in your heart"
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 31st, an exclusive interview with Wu Lei: "Why don't you be afraid of hardships and dangers, and be brave in your heart"
Xinhua News Agency reporter Gongbing, Xiao Shiyao
On July 20th, Beijing time, in the 38th round of the La Liga 2019-2020 season, the Spaniard played against Celta. The two sides ended the game in a tie, which also announced the official end of the Spanish season. Before this game, the Spaniard suffered an eight-game losing streak and was relegated early. This is the first time the team has been relegated to West Division since 1994.
Since the decision to "study abroad" and join the Spaniard in January 2019, Wu Lei has been with the team for two seasons in one and a half years. From the "Happy ending" of last season to the "difficult end" of this season, as the "hope of the whole village" in the hearts of fans, attention, appreciation, encouragement and criticism have been around Wu Lei. With the relegation of the team, as a member of the Espanyol, Wu Lei's future choices have become the focus of everyone's attention. In this year and a half, what was his biggest gain? Was the downgrade unexpected? What are your plans for the future overseas study? What kind of life insights did he give him when fighting the epidemic together with his family in a foreign country?
This holiday, Wu Lei stayed in Barcelona temporarily. A reporter from Xinhua News Agency conducted a written interview with him a few days ago. He opened his heart on the above-mentioned issues.
Can give yourself 8 points
Speaking of his evaluation of his overseas study for the past year and a half, Wu Lei said: "I am quite satisfied with myself. Give it 8 points (on a 10-point scale)."
This season, including the League, the Europa League and the Copa del Rey, Wu Lei played 49 times on behalf of the Spaniard; at the same time, Wu Lei also completed the first goal of the Chinese men's football match in the European Championship. After undergoing the adjustments of last season, Wu Lei is obviously more adaptable. "In the past year, including the second half of last season, I have adapted well, because there are indeed a lot of difficulties in playing football. Prepare, but after you come, you will still face many unforeseen problems, so it is really not easy. It is not only on the court to come out to play, but also need to adapt well in all aspects of life."
The difficulties and concerns that "come out" to play football have to face. For the best scorer among the active Chinese football players, his performance is obviously more calm than the media imagined, showing a mature and professional beyond expectations. Fans’ more ardent expectations, match statistics, match performance, comparisons with "predecessors" achievements, and relentless criticism, seem not to be able to shake his determination, "The most important thing is to come out to feel and experience, really see When it comes to something different, it does not mean that we must accomplish something or break a record."
Wu Lei said that he did not come to Spain to play for the stats, so when faced with the doubt that "shot data is not as good as in the Super League", he was very calm, "I think it must be inferior to the Super League, because the Super League may score a few shots. I definitely need more shots here, which is very normal. In the Super League environment, the press for me is not so strong, and the shots will be more calm. There is very little space here, there are very few opportunities for myself to adjust, and the time for thinking is very short. Sometimes technical movements are not so stable when they accelerate."
The fighting spirit of professional athletes to pursue victory and the accompanying pressure seemed to strike a balance in Wu Lei, and this balance allowed him to make more correct choices when facing difficulties.
Playing in the second division is not a failure, Chinese players should not just stare at the top five leagues
For Wu Lei, who is getting better in La Liga, from the beginning of the season in the Europa League to the end of the season, he fell into the second division. This is completely beyond his expectation. "I certainly did not expect this year to be like this. I must know This year is more difficult than last year because everyone knows me. From the game I can clearly feel that other teams are researching and attaching importance to me. I can hear opponents calling my name on the court. I have never thought of a team. It will be demoted in the end. The strength of the team is definitely not the last one. I believe that if we can play again, the worst will not be demoted. I didn't expect it at all."
In Wu Lei’s view, there are many reasons for the relegation, “the impact of the Europa League’s physical fitness, lack of preparation at the beginning of the season, and more coaches exchanges. The epidemic is actually a good adjustment for us. The timeout feels like we will continue to lose. After the restart of the game, we played well in the first two games and scored the planned points, but the third game (lose to Levante at home 1:3) was fatal to us and to us Morale hurts a lot. Sometimes it's just a breath. If the entire team loses confidence, then no matter how strong the team is, it will not be able to gather together."
Prior to this, Wu Lei's whereabouts was hotly discussed by fans. News of the Premier League, Bundesliga, and La Liga teams interested in him frequently appeared, and the discussion continued. After the team was determined to be relegated, this enthusiasm reached its peak. "Indeed, the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga have clubs contacting me." He admitted, and with other clubs frequently extending olive branches to him, domestic fans also hope that he will continue to play in the five major leagues. Under such circumstances, he chose to stay in the Spaniard, he obviously has deeper considerations.
"I know that everyone feels that I can stay in the five major leagues, and there is a Chinese in (the five major leagues), otherwise it always seems to have shortcomings. But as my weekly diary said, sometimes you can't be too confident, sometimes you can't be too inferior. Even the overall level of the Second Division is definitely better than that of the Super League. If every player wants to make it to the sky in one step, they will put themselves in a very difficult situation. Just like Japan and South Korea, they were about the same level 20 to 30 years ago. But now they have completely surpassed us, and there is more than one grade. I think they are taking a steady path. Their players will not mind going to the top European league or the second league. They have the opportunity to go to Europe and play back to Japan for two years. If you have a chance to go out again, this is a better environment."
Obviously, in addition to his own development, he is more willing to make his choice a guide to influence more players to come out. Wu Lei mentioned that there are not many players from Japan and South Korea who really play in the five major leagues. Most of them are in the European leagues or sub-leagues other than the five major leagues. With a huge base, even if many people are eliminated, Can't go back in Europe, but there are still many people who choose to go outside.
"I don't really agree that it must be in the five major leagues. How many people play in the five major leagues can improve the level of Chinese football. Sometimes we demand too much of our level, or the requirements for players are too high."
Wu Lei believes that, whether it is the five major leagues, the secondary leagues, or national leagues other than the five major leagues, only when a large number of Chinese players are willing to step out and gain a foothold abroad can Chinese football truly be able to improve. Therefore, he also hopes that young players, "If you have a dream, it is better to come out as soon as possible. Of course, it is not to come out for a while, but to really calm down and feel, to learn things, and to gain a foothold. The most important thing is the question of base. It’s not the same for 100 people and 10 people to come out. If domestic players say that they must go to the five major leagues, or they don’t come out, then I’m afraid that many people will never come out.” (To be continued)
Back to La Liga, very confident
For the Spaniard's return to La Liga next season, Wu Lei also showed confidence in his objective evaluation. "The goal for next season is definitely to return to La Liga. This can be said to be a rigid indicator. In terms of overall strength, including the size of the club, we are definitely ahead of other teams in La Liga, so everyone still has to clear goals, unify thinking, and work together to achieve it. aims."
Regarding the unknown journey of West Second Division A, he also said: "This goal is very difficult, West Second Division is very strong, and the competition in Division A will be fierce. The opponent will see that we are downgraded. Desperately trying to prove myself. So it's really not that easy."
"It’s better to know myself best and know what I want. I chose to stay because of multiple factors. After all, I am not alone in a foreign country. I still have a family. The children have adapted to school. In addition, life here is indeed more at ease. The club staff and fans are also very friendly to me and feel like a big family."
Wu Lei said that he has been thinking about it for a long time, and the most important thing is to eliminate all kinds of interference from the outside world. The more at this time, the more you need to recognize yourself. A person makes a choice based on many considerations. This choice is visible inside and outside the stadium. A sense of reason.
After the new crown, cherish family and health even more
In March this year, Wu Lei was diagnosed with the new coronavirus; in May, his nucleic acid test results turned negative. What this unforgettable experience brought to Wu Lei, besides the test of himself, was his debt to the family. Looking back, Wu Lei felt that this was the most difficult period for him this year. He even thought of giving up and returning to China directly.
"This sudden special situation was impossible to predict before it came out. I was diagnosed during that period, but my emotions were actually not very good. The main reason was not worrying about myself. I was the first to have symptoms. It was my wife. During that time, my wife was really hard. Her symptoms actually lasted for a long time. Even if she was uncomfortable, she still had to cook, do housework, and take care of us. The biggest sacrifice and sacrifice for playing abroad is She. I am very grateful for her support. Fortunately, everything has survived. This experience made me think more and cherish my family and my body more."
The start of the Chinese Super League is not easy, pay tribute to medical workers
On July 25, the 2020 Super League kicked off, and Wu Lei also went online to chase the ball in Spain for the first time. For him who has experienced suspensions and new crown infections, in addition to feeling that the Super League was not easy to start and encouraging his previous teammates, he also paid tribute to medical workers.
"I have won the new crown and I can feel how hard the medical workers are. They really paid too much for the country, many times more than our players. They are making sacrifices for the safety and health of the people of the whole country. With a good starting environment, the game can be resumed, and I really need to cherish it."
Optimistic about the national football entering the top 12
Although affected by the epidemic, the national team's world preliminaries are full of uncertainty, but Wu Lei is still confident that the national football team will enter the top 12. Regarding the running-in issue of the national team, Wu Lei said: “In fact, national teams all over the world have this problem. There is very little time for the world’s strong teams to practice together. The players report to the national team about a week before the game and then play. The 11 main players of our national team all play in Europe, and even players who play in Europe can’t make it to the national team. At that time, I believe no one will discuss (run-in) this issue. I think the current ability and atmosphere of the national team They are all in a better stage."
Study abroad gains all aspects and sees the gap in Chinese football
Speaking of the gains from studying abroad in this year and a half, Wu Lei said: “The harvest is richer than I thought. It can be said to be all-round. The most important thing is that I have seen the football system from top to bottom and the club operations here. From the echelon to the adult team, the atmosphere of football, the love of football by ordinary people, these are two experiences in China. But on the other hand, because of these, I feel the gap in Chinese football. To say that I can personally give What kind of help Chinese football brings, I’m a little lonely. I always say that if there are 20 or 30 players in such an environment, even if they can play in the sub-league, they can really feel it, then they will treat China after returning. Football has helped. Now I can only say that I see the gap here, but I am a little helpless facing the gap."
For the whole football game and training environment, what Wu Lei prefers to see is that there are more children in China who love football from the heart, and parents who really support their children to play football.
"In Spain, I see people playing football on the road every day. After school, the children are all on the playground and on the concrete floor. Not all on the green grass, but anywhere. Those kids who play everywhere never pass. Training is to watch the technical actions of bumping and passing the ball on TV, and then think about it for themselves. They love this project. Spain has such a foundation. With such a foundation, would you still worry that football scores will not improve? This This is my most intuitive feeling. I hope that one day in China, children can go to the playground to play football from the heart after school, instead of being forced by the coach. I don’t want them to want to play but don’t have time because of various extracurricular tutoring. I hope there is More parents accompany their children to play football and support their children from the bottom of their hearts. Then there is no need to worry about losing Chinese football."