Wu Lei (center) receives his Chinese Footballer of the Year award on Thursday in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province from Branko Ivankovic (right), current head coach of Chinese national football team and Serb coach Bora Milutinovic (left), who led China to their only FIFA World Cup appearance in 2002. Photo: Courtesy of Football Weekly magazine

Chinese star striker Wu Lei won his fifth Chinese Footballer of the Year award on Thursday, after a prolific season that saw him scoring 34 goals in 30 Chinese Super League matches in 2024. 

His 34 goals, which were a vital contributor to his club Shanghai Port winning the league title, are also a new record in the league's history. None of Wu'sgoals came from penalties.

Wu, now 33, had previously won the award for the 2018, 2019, 2021 seasons when he was playing for RCD Espanyol and Shanghai Port in the 2023 season.

"Last year when I received the award, I said I felt unworthy of it. But this year, winning the award again, I feel at ease," Wu said at the ceremony. 

"Each footballer will encounter dips, failures and difficulties in their careers. However, we must persevere in our pursuits and never give up, always striving for the dream in our hearts." 

Wu also scored four goals in nine Chinese national team appearances in 2024, after a knee injury sidelined him from playing.

Midfielder Xie Wenneng of Shandong Taishan, now 23, was the second-placed footballer in the top award. His club teammate and keeper Wang Dalei, also the No.1 keeper on the Chinese national team, won the Golden Gloves award.

Left back Hu Hetao of Chengdu Rongcheng, who made his debut on the national team in October 2024, won the Youth Footballer of the Year award in the under-21 category. 

The Chinese Footballer of the Year award, dubbed the Ballon d'Or award in China, was established in 2017 by Chinese football magazine Football Weekly to honor the Chinese players deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.