BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- A new report by a Chinese media company shows that Spanish La Liga club Espanyol has enjoyed a surge in popularity among Chinese soccer fans since Chinese star Wu Lei's transfer.
Youku Sports used broadcasting and e-commerce data to analyze Europe's five main football leagues and their players' popularity in China, and found that Espanyol has become the biggest winner in the 2018/19 season.
Such has been Wu's impact since joining the Spanish side that Espanyol shot to the top of Youku's list of most popular teams, surpassing even traditional heavyweights like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
The popularity of Spain's La Liga also rose considerably following the Chinese striker's January transfer to Espanyol.
The 28-year-old Wu, who scored three league goals from 16 appearances for Espanyol last season, also made his mark as the most popular soccer player as his name was the most searched on Youku Sports.
According to the report, the English Premier League had the highest viewing figures in the 2018/19 season.
Among the ten most popular clubs, four are from the Premier League, three come from La Liga, and two are from Italy's Serie A, with Bayern Munich the only team from Germany's Bundesliga.
