Soccer has been more and more popular around the world and soccer players who change clubs must get used to new team cultures, languages and lifestyles.
But it didn’t take long for Wu Lei to fit in when he moved from Shanghai SIPG to Spanish club Espanyol at the end of January, 2019.
On March 2, when the 27-year-old Chinese striker (前锋) helped his team to a 3-1 win over Real Valladolid, Wu became the first player from an Asian country to score a goal in Spain’s top league. And he also made the list of best line-up for La Liga (西甲)’s round of 26.
“I’m so proud to be the first Chinese player to score in La Liga,” Wu told China Daily. “I really want to thank my teammates for their support since the first day I arrived.”
Spanish sport newspaper Marca noted that Wu has answered those who doubted his move to the club and that “his quick adaptation (适应) to La Liga has surprised many people”.
In fact, Wu has been surprising people since the beginning of his career. He was a top student at primary school, and once won the title of merit student (三好学生) in Nanjing. Out of his passion (热情) for soccer, he decided to join soccer manager Xu Genbao’s soccer training center in Shanghai at the age of 12.
Although some teachers disagreed with his decision, Wu proved that he could keep up his studies, as well as his playing. At 14, Wu became China’s youngest professional league player. Last season, Wu won the Chinese Super League’s Top Scorer and Player of the Year awards.
Now a Chinese international, Wu is working hard to show that “there are players in China who can shine in the best leagues in the world”, he told Global Times.
And given that he’s already opened a new chapter (篇章) for Chinese soccer in Europe, the chances are that Wu Lei has even more surprises in store for us.
29. What happened to Wu Lei at the end of January?
A.He played soccer in Shanghai SIPG. | B.He joined the Spanish club Espanyol. |
C.He helped his team defeat Real Valladolid. | D.He scored a goal in one of the world’s top leagues |
30. What did the Marca Newspaper say about Wu?
A.He didn’t have any self-confidence. | B.He has learned a lot from his teammates. |
C.He made a mistake when he changed clubs. | D.He surprised people with his ability to adapt. |
31. What do we know about Wu when he was a student?
A.He seldom has chances to have more time to play soccer. |
B.He was better at sports than other subjects. |
C.He did well in both soccer and his studies. |
D.He fell behind in his studies because of playing soccer. |
32. How does the writer feel about Wu’s future career?
A.Worried. | B.Hopeless. | C.Confident. | D.Difficult. |