Teenage Hong Kong midfielder sets international goal after German club debut

Teenage midfielder Moses Wu said he hoped his move to German club football would help him follow in the footsteps of new Hong Kong national team striker Michael Udebuluzor.

Wu made his debut for Hong Kong under-18s in August, against a visiting Manchester United youth side, before opting to join Bremen-based, fifth-tier team Oberneuland, with the aim of accelerating his development among the “speed and physicality” of men’s football.

The 17-year-old and striker Udebuluzor, who is two years his senior, both attended Kowloon’s Christian Alliance International School. Udebuluzor, who moved to Germany five years ago and plays for third division club Ingolstadt 04, has scored twice in three Hong Kong appearances.

“Michael was the best player in school, I always looked up to him and paid attention to his game, and I still do,” said Wu, who turns 18 in a few weeks.

“Representing my country for the under-18s, in front of a few thousand fans, was an important step for me.

“The national team coaches are monitoring my progress in Germany. They have asked me to send my match footage, and I want to eventually break into the senior team.”

Wu first left home in 2018 to pursue his European dream, initially intending to settle in Germany until visa issues disrupted his plans.

Just 13 at the time, he promptly relocated to England to study at Brooke House Football Academy, where a diet of regular training was wedded to games against high-calibre teams, including academies from Leicester City and West Ham United.

“I could compete technically with those players, but it was a completely different level from Hong Kong, the standard and physicality were much tougher,” Wu said. “My mentality grew stronger and I improved every part of my game.

“Leaving home was hard, at first, but I can handle myself and I am independent. I was so motivated to play at the highest level and I never regretted going.”

After 18 months in England, Wu, seeking “more progression and exposure” still had his heart still set on Germany. But further visa troubles forced his return to Hong Kong during the coronavirus pandemic, where he trained daily with personal mentor James Nortey.

Returning to England to sit his GCSE exams, he “buzzed around” playing for different teams.

Before settling on Oberneuland, Wu had several trials with clubs in Berlin and Bremen with many suitors drawn to his “technical ability, passing accuracy and the ability to handle the ball under pressure”.

Wu played his first game in a 3-1 victory at TuRa Bremen last month, and is growing increasingly “comfortable on the pitch” to form a new-found “chemistry” with teammates.

The hard-running player’s short-term goal extends only to obtaining regular game time.

“Then, if I do well, I could go to a bigger club, either in the winter transfer window, or next summer,” Wu said. “I have to target incremental steps, moving up one division, then another, until I reach the Bundesliga.

“I want to play in the Champions League and with the best players in the world, but that is not realistic for me, right now. I am confident in my quality, I need to focus on my goals and remain patient.”