RCD Espanyol's Wu Lei (R) shoots during a Spanish league match between RCD Espanyol and Granada in Barcelona, Spain, on Sept. 1, 2019. (Photo by Joan Gosa/Xinhua)
Wu Lei, who plays for Spanish La Liga club Espanyol, is among the 24-man Chinese soccer team squad for the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Maldives.
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese men's soccer team announced a 24-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Maldives.
Wu Lei, who plays for Spanish La Liga club Espanyol, and other 11 players from the Chinese Super League's Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG will join the national team and coach Marcello Lippi as they take on Maldives.
Elkeson of the Chinese men's soccer team answers questions from press during a training in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 2, 2019. The Chinese men's soccer team is preparing for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers held in Maldives on Sept. 10. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Guangzhou Evergrande striker Elkeson, who became the first player without Chinese heritage to be called up for international duty, is on the team list for China's visiting against Maldives next Tuesday.
Following is the squad:
Forwards: Wu Lei, Elkeson, Yang Liyu, Wei Shihao, Yang Xu, Zhang Xizhe
Midfielders: Zheng Zhi, Wu Xi, Hao Junmin, Chi Zhongguo, Xu Xin, Li Ke, Yao Junsheng
Defenders: Zhang Linpeng, Wang Gang, Zhu Chenjie, He Guan, Gao Zhunyi, Li Lei, Li Shuai, Shi Ke
Goalkeepers: Yan Junling, Wang Dalei, Zhang Lu
