The Hindu : Sport / Football : Sychev — the Russian boy wonder

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Wednesday, Jun 09, 2004

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Sychev — the Russian boy wonder

By Nick Allen

MOSCOW, JUNE 8. At just 20 years of age, striker Dmitry Sychev has earned a reputation as Russia's most sensational forward in years, has been signed to Marseille and back, and has incensed the establishment with his abrupt club hopping.

"There can be no such thing as a love of clubs in football," says the young Siberian of his quick club turnover in recent years.

Dubbed the "Russian Michael Owen", Sychev broke into the national team in early 2002, aged 18, and after just three outings became the youngest player to represent his country at a World Cup at the age of just 18 years and 222 days.

In Japan and Korea, he scored one and set up the other three of his side's four goals and was the highlight of an otherwise poor Russian campaign.

Sychev spent his formative years at St. Petersburg's famous Smena soccer academy before joining Spartak Tambov after also having trials at French clubs Nantes and Metz.

He was picked up by Spartak Moscow in January 2002, but after just six months, decided to abandon the club over a contract dispute, drawing a four-month ban when the Russian Professional Football League took exception to his headstrong conduct.

In March 2002, Sychev made his full international debut for Russia against Estonia while a proposed move to AC Milan in the middle of the same year never materialised.

After finishing his suspension, Sychev was poised to join Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev but instead decided to move to Olympique Marseille in France where he was mainly used as a substitute.

He scored three goals for Marseille in the second half of the 2002/03 season including one against Austria Wien in August 2003 that helped seal the French team's Champions League qualification.

In January this year, Sychev came home after signing with Lokomotiv Moscow, where he says this time he will serve out his four-year contract.

Although Sychev was only used sparingly by Georgi Yartsev in Russia's Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, playing just once and scoring in the final 3-1 defeat of Georgia, comparisons have still been made with former Russia and Werder Bremen star Vladimir Beschastnykh. — DPA

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