Denis Dmitriyevich Cheryshev (born December 26, 1990, Nizhny Novgorod) is a Russian and Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder and forward. Honored Master of Sport of Russia (2018). A native of Nizhny Novgorod, he spent most of his life in Spain, where he developed as a professional player. He is a UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid (2015/16 season) and a UEFA Europa League winner with Sevilla (2013/14 season).[1]

Childhood and early career

Denis's father is Dmitry Nikolayevich Cheryshev (born May 11, 1969), a forward and later a football coach, who played 10 matches for the Russia national team and scored 1 goal. In 1996, when Denis was five years old, his father, who was playing for Nizhny Novgorod's Lokomotiv, moved to Sporting Gijón, and the whole family relocated to Spain.[3] In Gijón, Denis spent four years in Sporting's youth academy, then a year in Burgos. In 2002, scouts from Madrid's Real noticed him, and at age 11 he joined the club's academy.[1]

At Real's academy, Cheryshev progressed through all the youth levels — from "Alevín A" to Real Madrid C. In 2003, playing for Real's youth team, he won the club European championship and was named the tournament's top scorer.[1] Alongside his football career, he graduated from a Madrid university as a fitness coach and physical education teacher.[1] From 2008 to 2009, his father coached Real Madrid's youth team, in whose junior squad Denis was playing during the same period.[1]

Club career

In 2010, Cheryshev moved to Real Madrid Castilla, the club's second team. In total he played 109 matches for Castilla and scored 22 goals. On July 24, 2012, he made his debut for Real's first team in a friendly against Oviedo, scoring the second goal in a 3–0 win, and became the first Russian to play and score for the club.[1] On November 27, 2012, he made his official debut for Real, starting in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey against Alcoyano.[3]

On July 25, 2013, he signed a new contract with Real through the summer of 2017, after which he went out on a series of loans: in the 2013/14 season to Sevilla, where he won the Europa League with the club; then to Villarreal (26 matches, 4 league goals). Returning to Real in 2015, he played in three Champions League matches and received a gold medal for the club's victory in the 2015/16 tournament.[1] In June 2016, he signed a five-year contract with Villarreal. In August 2018, he joined Valencia on loan, and in June 2019 Villarreal sold him to the club for €5.5 million. In the 2021/22 season, he played 17 La Liga matches for Valencia.[2]

Russia national team

Despite being eligible to play for the Spain national team, Cheryshev chose Russia. He played for Russia's youth national teams from 2006 to 2013, making 24 appearances and scoring 12 goals. On November 14, 2012, he made his debut for the senior Russia national team in a match against the USA — notably, his father also made his Russia debut in a game against the USA, making them the first father-and-son pair to play for the national team.

At the 2018 World Cup, held in part in Nizhny Novgorod, Cheryshev became one of the key players of the national team: in the opening match against Saudi Arabia he came on as a substitute and scored two goals, and was named the best player of the match by FIFA; in the next match, against Egypt, he scored another goal. In five matches of the tournament he scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist.[2] Following the tournament he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sport of Russia.[1]

Sources

  1. stuki-druki.com — Denis Cheryshev (archive)
  2. news.sportbox.ru — Cheryshev Denis Dmitriyevich — Midfielder — Denis Cheryshev
  3. rus.team — Cheryshev Denis Dmitriyevich — Russian Footballer — Biography (archive)