Media Figure: It’s Normal for Some Fans to Have No Goodwill Towards Wu Lei; Over Time, the CFA Should Truly Reflect

On September 26th, Wu Lei updated his Weibo status in response to previous verbal abuse during a match, stating “Do not involve parents or family members.” Following this, media figure Liu Wenchao posted a lengthy article on social media. He pointed out that regarding Wu Lei, including Zhang Yuning and previously Wu Xi, who faced online public criticism due to certain topics, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) should indeed reflect deeply. Why are domestic players facing such situations? In the long run, is this truly beneficial for the growth of the next generation of Chinese football?

The detailed content is as follows:

In away matches of domestic leagues, Wu Lei is often the player most welcomed by local fans at the scene or in hotels. At national team matches, he is typically the player receiving the loudest cheers when the lineup is announced. Those who have actually been to the stadium can likely attest to this.

A few years ago, I saw an interview with Sun Jihai where he mentioned asking many kids at a youth club who their favorite player was, and the answer was consistently “Wu Lei.” This is partly because young children are not familiar with the older generation of national team players, but also because Wu Lei has been the most prominent and talked-about player during their growing years.

It’s only been about a year since Wu Lei officially became the captain of the national team. Therefore, regardless of whether he is the captain or not, the reason he garners so much support from fans is inseparable from his efforts and achievements throughout his career. The CFA should not worry about this; instead, they could consider how to leverage the influence of domestic players like Wu Lei to do more for the development of youth training programs.

Of course, there will be fans who do not have a good impression of Wu Lei, which is normal. Everyone in the football world has their preferences and dislikes, which might be based on playing style, technical characteristics, the team they support, or even personality on the field. However, at the national team level, despite their limited individual abilities, both Wu Lei and former captain Zheng Zhi, who once shed tears in front of cameras, have played for the national team while injured. Wu Lei scored twelve goals in the last World Cup qualifiers, facts that cannot be ignored. As captain, whether one leads by example and commits themselves fully, time will tell.

Returning to Wu Lei himself, he is just an ordinary Chinese player. Because of his excellence, fans and media have opportunities to create memes, such as “King Wu” and “Nuclear Weapon No. 7”; and due to his prominence, he provides material for viral topics, with a single GIF or clip spawning a series of unique viewpoints. For Wu Lei, including Zhang Yuning, and previously Wu Xi, who faced online public criticism over certain topics, the CFA should genuinely reflect on why their own players face such situations. In the long term, is this really beneficial for the growth of the next generation of Chinese football?