Chinese national player Li Lei signs with Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Zurich
- Li made his professional debut with the Chinese Super League at the age of 17
- The 29-year-old has made more than 100 appearances for Beijing Guoan over the past two years
Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Zurich has announced the signing of Chinese national player Li Lei. The 29-year-old, who currently plays for Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League, will arrive in Zurich in January 2022.
It is the first major signing of a Chinese national player since Grasshopper Zurich was acquired by Hong Kong-based Champion Union HK Holdings in April last year. Champion Union is headed by Jenny Wang Jinyuan, the wife of Fosun and Wolverhampton Wanderers owner Guo Guangchang.
Li, who grew up in Qingdao in the Shandong province, made his professional career debut in the Chinese Super League for Nanchang Bayi (now called Shanghai Shenxin) at the age of just 17. He has since made more than 200 professional appearances playing for Nanchang Bayi, Henan Jianye and most recently Beijing Guoan.
Li won the Chinese Cup with Beijing Guoan in 2018 and was named among the top 11 players of the Chinese Super League in 2019.
“Playing football in Europe has been a dream since I was a child. It’s a very precious opportunity for a player of my age,” Li said. “I want to experience a new environment and see what I can do in Europe.”