Who is Denis Cheryshev? Russia World Cup star and former Real Madrid winger who could have played for Spain
Cheryshev showed the kind of skill in the World Cup opening match that once convinced Florentino Perez to bring him to the Bernabeu
RUSSIA got off to a flying start in their first two World Cup games and were inspired by a man who grew up in Spain.
Former Real Madrid star Denis Cheryshev has put himself in Golden Boot contention with three brilliant goals so far.
Who is Denis Cheryshev?
Denis Cheryshev was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1990.
But he moved to Spain when he was just six years old, joining his father who played for Sporting Gijon.
Cheryshev was in the Sporting Gijon academy until he was ten years old when he moved to Burgos, before Real Madrid came calling.
He has also been around the Russian national team since 2005, when he scored nine goals in 15 games for the Under-15s.
He had played eleven times for the senior team, but his brilliant effort against Saudi Arabia was his first for his country.
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How long was Denis Cheryshev at Real Madrid for and did he play for the first team?
Denis Cheryshev was part of the Real Madrid for 14 years, joining the club at the age of 12.
In 2009 he burst onto the scene with the B team and went on to score 22 goals in 109 games under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane.
He played two matches for Los Blancos' senior team and was also loaned to Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia.
Where does Denis Cheryshev play now?
Denis Cheryshev now plays for Villarreal after rejoining the club on a permanent deal in 2016.
In two seasons he has played 35 matches and scored two goals.