From a Real flub to World Cup star

Although spotted as a young talent in 2005, Denis Cheryshev has not had the most auspicious association with high-level football. He was in fact the reason for Real Madrid being unceremoniously disqualified from the Cop Del Rey in 2015, after which he never again featured for Los Blancos. Even he would likely not have dreamt that, less than three years later, he would be the toast of his nation and of the star performer in the 2018 World Cup opener. mishap

It was the 24th minute of the curtain-raiser when Russian forward Alan Dzagoev tumbled during a mounting Russian attack and had to leave the field injured, Cheryshev -- not a certainty to feature in the match or start the next few -- took Dzagoev’s place. Within 18 minutes the 27-year-old collected a pass into the box from Roman Zobnin and fired in their second goal, a shot that started inches above the prone bodies of two Saudi defenders and ended up bulging the back of the net -- his first goal for Russia.  

Then, in the first minute of extra time with Russia already 3-0 into the act of thoroughly outclassing a virtually defenceless Saudi side, Cheryshev ran barely a yard into the box from the left and unleashed a strike past a desperately diving goalkeeper that screamed into the right corner of the net. Needless to say, it will have its fair share of replays in the coming days.

It was all so different in December 2015, when Cheryshev was the unwitting culprit of Real Madrid’s unceremonious exit at the round of 32 stage of the Copa del Rey. Two days after the joy of scoring his first goal for Real Madrid in the away fixture against Cadiz, it emerged following a complaint by the Andalusian side that Cheryshev was supposed to be serving out a suspension because of yellow cards accumulated in the last season when he was on loan to Villareal, causing Real to be disqualified.  

It was dark days for Cheryshev, as this tweet three days after Real Madrid’s disqualification shows: 

"Now that don't kill me, can only make me stronger" pic.twitter.com/QXgKmJw5Qx

; Denis Cheryshev (@Cheryshev) December 7, 2015

Cheryshev had joined Real Madrid in 2002 at the age of 12, and after his apprenticeship in the junior levels made his senior team debut in 2013, becoming the first Russian to turn out for the European giants. But that mishap was to be the end of his career with Los Blancos. He currently plays for Villareal after rejoining the club on a permanent deal in 2016. 

And while his first goal for Real Madrid was immediately followed by bitter disappointment and heartbreak, his first goal for Russia in his 12th appearance for the senior team promises an altogether more positive chain of events for Denis Cheryshev.