Who is Denis Cheryshev? 5 things to know about the Russian winger

The beauty of FIFA World Cup is that once in every 4 years it unites the world. People come together by forgetting all their differences, to enjoy the footballing extravaganza.

For long the World Cup has been the place where legends are born and history is created. As quoted by legendary footballer Pele: "The World Cup is a very important way to measure the good players from the great ones."

For every player involved in the World Cup, firstly it's an ultimate dream to represent one's nation at the biggest tournament, and it's also a place where they would be watched by millions of fans. So if they perform in the tournament it guarantees them a place in World Cup folklore for eternity.

Over the course of World Cup history, we have had many such individuals who have carved a niche for themselves by demonstrating such heroics.

From the likes of Roger Milla and Diego Forlan to James Rodriguez and Guillermo Ochoa, several names have become immortal. From this 2018 edition I think one such name that people would remember is that of Denis Cheryshev.

Denis Dmitri Cheryshev is a left winger who plies his trade in La Liga with Villarreal and plays for the Russian National team. He has been one of the star performers of FIFA World Cup 2018, scoring 3 goals in 2 games for his national team.

Prior to this tournament, no one would have placed their bets on Denis to perform as he had very rarely played for his national team. Also going by his 2017-18 La Liga stats, he has scored more goals in his last 2 matches than in his entire last season.

But here he is now, with the entire world at his fingertips. Let's look at 5 things you may not have known about the budding star:

#1 He has played for Real Madrid

Yes, Denis Cheryshev was with Los Blancos from 2009-2016. Prior to Madrid, he was with Sporting Gijon and Burgos where he was considered one of the great upcoming talents. In 2009 after Perez brought him to Bernabeu under the coaching of Zidane, he became an important player for the Real Madrid B team and scored 22 goals in 109 games.

But due to tremendous competition and injuries, he got only a few starts with the 1st team (2 games). After multiple loan spells with Villarreal and Valencia, he moved permanently and signed for Villarreal in the 2016 season.

His career has been consistently marred by injuries having missed approximately 85 club games since 2013-14 due to various hamstring and muscle injuries. But finally, he is showing the world in Russia what he is capable of and the reason why Perez signed him then.

#2 He was born in Russia but brought up in Spain

Denis is the son of former Russian striker and Real Madrid youth coach Dmitri Cheryshev who represented Russia back in the 1990's. Denis was born in Russia but has played all his career in Spain, having been brought to this country at the age of 6. Dmitri and Denis became the first father-son duo to play for Russia.

Being brought up in Spain helped him develop his game according to La Liga standards and was highly regarded by Carlo Ancelotti during his time as Real Madrid manager.

#3 He was a back up for Russian star Alan Dzagoev

Alan Dzagoev is a creative player who likes to control the game with his short passes, a player who likes to create chances with his through balls and key passes. On the other hand, Denis is someone who runs tirelessly on the pitch, pressing hard, contributing defensively for the team and at the same time being a constant threat by cutting inside and taking shots.

Unlike Dzagoev, who has always been one of the hottest prospects to come out of Russia, Denis' selection into the 23 men Russian FIFA World Cup squad raised a lot of criticism and pundits thought he would only be a meagerly used substitute to Dzagoev. Had it not been for the injury to Dzagoev in the Saudi Arabia match, Denis would have still been unknown.

Including Denis in the squad came as a blessing in disguise for Russia because it added a unique dynamism to the team where the technicalities of La Liga combined beautifully with the directness of Russian style.

#4 He is the highest goalscorer for Russia in World Cup History

Before getting its independence in 1991 as a part of USSR aka the Soviet Union, Russia has been a part of 7 FIFA World Cups. In their peak USSR were a force to reckon with, having finished 4th in the 1966 World Cup edition with players like Lev Yashin (only goalkeeper to win Ballon d'Or) and Valentin Ivanov (leading goal scorer in 1962 edition) in their squad.

As independent Russia, they have only appeared in 3 FIFA World Cups (1994, 2002, 2014) and their performance has been anything but noteworthy.

With the 2018 edition taking place in Russia a lot is expected from this team. Russia is all but through to the knockouts with 2 wins in the group stages.

Denis with his goal against Egypt has become the country's highest goal scorer in the World Cups having scored 3 goals in 2 matches. He still has a few more matches to play this World Cup.

#5 He is the 1st substitute to score in the opening match of a World Cup

When Denis was included in the preliminary squad for the World Cup, many thought he was not good enough and would not make the cut. But with his industrious style of play and hard work in the subsequent training camp, he proved his detractors wrong; he impressed Cherchesov enough to include him in his final 23-man squad.

So when Denis came onto to the pitch to replace the injured Alan Dzagoev it was his hard work that had put him in a place where finally his good luck could find him. The result: he scored the 2nd goal against Saudi Arabia.

With that goal the diminutive winger from Villarreal became the 1st substitute to score in an opening game of a World cup.

Denis has always been on the periphery for most of his career but now he is living his dream, fulfilling the potential that Los Blancos saw and returning the favor to his national team by scoring important goals in the biggest tournament of world football. For the first time in his career, he is at the right place at the right time and taking advantage of the right opportunities.

Edited by Musab Abid