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Jonathan White

China forward Wu Lei scored his first goal in La Liga on Saturday and the internet went into overdrive.
The goal was his side’s third in a 3-1 win over Valladolid, ensuring that Espanyol remain unbeaten since Wu signed in the January transfer window.
Social media users were quick to react to the historic strike.
Football community Dongqiudi led the way with over 600,000 reads for its post on the goal and more than 20,000 comments.

First #WuLei gol in Spain pic.twitter.com/EA2PkCfzwv
— Calcio8Cina (@Calcio_8Cina) 2 March 2019

One image of Lionel Messi holding up a Wu Lei shirt was widely shared on WeChat and Weibo. The original image came after Messi’s Barcelona beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in April 2017.
Another image showed Cristiano Ronaldo holding up Wu’s Espanyol shirt.
There was also an image of Wu dressed as an astronaut in reference to the recent Chinese hit film The Wandering Earth.
Wu Lei – China’s Maradona, or football’s Yao Ming? Espanyol’s new signing faces pressure in ‘one of best leagues in the world’


⭐⭐⭐
Wu Lei made history in @RCDEspanyol's 3-1 win over Valladolid, becoming the first Chinese player to score in La Liga. pic.twitter.com/4D2CMiiUz8
— The Asian Game (@TheAsianGame) 2 March 2019

Weibo searches reached over 1.5 million in the five minutes following his goal. Users could find videos of the goal from every angle and of Espanyol fans in the stadium singing his name.
The Chinese Football Association used their official Weibo account to congratulate the star of the national team.
“Starting consecutively, scoring the first goal, Wu Lei’s La Liga journey is getting better,” they wrote. “Come on Wu Lei.”
Espanyol’s Wu Lei in line for La Liga start against Valencia with millions expected to watch back home in China


Wu Lei becomes the first Chinese goalscorer in La Liga pic.twitter.com/OiZDdaPXff— B/R Football (@brfootball) 2 March 2019

Once again Sina Sports greeted Wu’s appearance for the club with articles analysing his game in forensic detail, just as they have done for his previous four outings.
These articles praised his speed and off-the-ball movement, with commenters echoing those sentiments.
Big move for China’s Wu Lei will give off-field edge but he must prove he is more than a ‘shirt seller’













View this post on Instagram


















@wulei_wl7 scores his first goal in #LaLigaSantander! ⚽️ • #WuLei #Espanyol #LaLiga #Goal
A post shared by LaLiga (@laliga) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:32am PST



On another article, a user commented that the club should “Change his jersey number next season and give him the captain’s armband to enter the Champions League”.
Another suggested that former Shanghai SIPG teammate Oscar be sold to Espanyol so the pair can recreate a partnership that saw the Brazilian provide the most assists as Wu won the golden boot last season.
“I am not optimistic,” wrote another, joking that Wu needs to move to Real Madrid, while others suggested he would play better at Barcelona.
Wu Lei’s Espanyol debut attracts 40 million viewers in China – despite striker playing just 12 minutes


Remember the name! ⚽️
WU LEI becomes the first Chinese player to score in #LaLigaHistory!#EspanyolRealValladolid. pic.twitter.com/daTFjNmr7Y
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) 2 March 2019

One Sina user called Wu “the pride of the entire Chinese people” with another hoping that Wu can remain unbeaten throughout his La Liga career.
One other Sina article pleaded caution for fans getting carried away in praising Wu Lei and in making comparisons to Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min.
Commenters were divided on this.
Fifa must stop ignoring Chinese government interference in football – things will only get worse


1 - Wu Lei has become in the first Chinese player to score in #LaLiga ever. Exotic pic.twitter.com/9SiUbaOx66
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) 2 March 2019

The goal also got plenty of traction outside China, too.
La Liga’s Instagram shared a post that included the text “Way to be Unprecedented” and it was liked more than 55,000 times.
Another post with Wu’s face after scoring was liked almost 40,000 times.
On Twitter, La Liga took the opportunity to tell fans to “remember the name” and they also shared a video of Wu handing over his match-worn shirt to a young fan after the final whistle.
China’s Wu Lei joins Espanyol: forward leaves Chinese Super League champions Shanghai SIPG for Spanish La Liga strugglers


Remember the name! ⚽️
WU LEI becomes the first Chinese player to score in #LaLigaHistory!#EspanyolRealValladolid. pic.twitter.com/daTFjNmr7Y
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) 2 March 2019

User OptaJose, the Spanish league’s Opta account, also marked the goal although some users questioned the use of the word “exotic” to do so.
That was not the only potential controversy relating to the goal.

Are you kidding me? @LaLigaEN La Liga official account posted a message on Weibo (Chinese twitter) and congratulates Wu Lei for his first goal against Valladolid. Someone invented a time machine maybe? @RCDEspanyol #rcde pic.twitter.com/F3mn1naZ6z
— ChinaFootball (@CNFootballWatch) 1 March 2019

One Twitter user shared a post on La Liga’s official Weibo congratulating Wu for scoring against Valladolid. The Weibo post was dated March 1 while the game only took place on March 2.
Several Weibo users have shared the premature La Liga post and pointed out is has since been deleted.
Wu’s next chance to add to his tally is against Athletic Bilbao on March 9.
Six of the best for Chinese Super League on World Soccer 500 but Wu Lei is the only local to make the cut


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Spanish La Liga

Leo Messi memes and Real Madrid move greet Wu Lei goal as social media reacts to Chinese footballer’s historic strike

RCD Espanyol’s Chinese striker Wu Lei reacts after the match where he scored his first La Liga goal. Photo: EPA

Wu Lei becomes first Chinese player to score in Spanish league

(190302) -- BARCELONA, March 2, 2019 (Xinhua) -- RCD Espanyol's Wu Lei (R) competes during a Spanish league match between RCD Espanyol and Valladolid in Barcelona, Spain, on March 2, 2019. RCD Espanyol won 3-1. (Xinhua/Joan Gosa)

Espanyol's Wu Lei, left, with his teammates after he became the first Chinese player to score in a Spanish league match in Barcelona on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

Finding Wu Lei: China are starting to lay the foundations of a youth development programme, but when will it bear fruit?

Wu Lei celebrates with China teammates after winning against Qatar. Photo: Reuters

Real Madrid's Portuguese player Luis Figo gestures after assisting team mate Raul to score a goal during play in their Champions League Group B match against Bayer Leverkusen at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, November 23, 2004. REUTERS/Felix Ordoñez

Tom Byer gives coaching clinics to Chinese kids at Beijing Guoan-Tom Byer Juvenile Football Experience Day, at Chaoyang Park, Beijing. 09NOV13 == Photo by Simon Song ==

(140605) -- GUANGZHOU, June 5, 2014 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Evergrande Group Xu Jiayin (L) and founder and chairman of Alibaba Group Ma Yun thumb up at a signing ceremony of strategic soccer cooperation between the Evergrande Group and Alibaba Group in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, June 5, 2014. China's largest e-commerce company Alibaba Group became the part owner of the country's top soccer club Guangzhou Evergrande, as it pronouced to invest 1.2 billion yuan (about 192 million U.S. dollars) to own 50 percent of Evergrande's stake on Thursday. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei) (lm)

Sport

Football

Fans told to ‘remember the name’ as striker seen giving his shirt to a young supporter after the game
Reaction to first goal is overwhelmingly positive for ‘pride of China’


Leo Messi memes and Real Madrid move greet Wu Lei goal as social media reacts to Chinese footballer’s historic strike

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Fans told to ‘remember the name’ as striker seen giving his shirt to a young supporter after the game Reaction to first goal is overwhelmingly positive for ‘pride of China’

Fans told to ‘remember the name’ as striker seen giving his shirt to a young supporter after the game

Reaction to first goal is overwhelmingly positive for ‘pride of China’