Munich – Lei Wu has brought commercial success to Espanyol Barcelona In his home country the Chinese are worshipped, in Barcelona they hope to keep their class thanks to him.
On January 25th, over a billion people in China celebrated New Year. The Year of the Pig was followed by the Year of the Rat. At Espanyol Barcelona, however, the Year of Wu ended on 28 January.
Unlike in China, where the year is calculated according to the lunar calendar, the year began for the city rivals of the great FC Barcelona with the arrival of the Chinese Lei Wu.
Shanghai SIPG received two million euros for the striker, who had played for the club for 14 years. He made his debut there at the age of 14 and is the youngest player ever to have played in the top Chinese league.
Boundless hype in China
Wu’s change has caused an extraordinary hype in his home country.
In China, it is not Real Madrid that has the highest viewing figures, nor FC Barcelona. It’s Espanyol Barcelona. Millions of Chinese suddenly watch the games of a Spanish club that is considered a gray mouse in football-mad Spain and is also in great distress.