Cheryshev remembers time at Sporting

Tuesday night’s Copa del Rey game against Sporting Gijon will have a homecoming feel for Denis Cheryshev, who spent five years in the club’s youth ranks in the formative stages of his career.

The Russian was on the books at Sporting from 1996-2001, coinciding with his father Dmitri playing for the first team. Whilst training took place at the Asturian side’s famous Mareo school, the younger Cheryshev would go to El Molinón as a fan to cheer on his father in LaLiga games.

“I have great memories of Sporting. I spent five very good years there, and I still go to Gijón quite often,” he told VCF MEDIA ahead of the cup clash.

“It was there that I started playing football, in the Mareo school, and I quickly moved up to the youth sides at Sporting. I would never miss a game at El Molinón.”

Cheryshev would also coincide with a Sporting and Spanish football legend, in Enrique Castro –‘Quini’, whom he remembers fondly close to a year after his passing.

“I’ve always admired Quini. He treated me amazingly well and played football with me when he came along to our training sessions. Both my family and I are eternally grateful to him.”

The Copa del Rey Last 16 encounter will be the third time that Cheryshev faces Sporting in his professional career, and the second time for him at El Molinón. The two sides will meet again in the second leg next week.