Cheryshev joins Valencia CF's '100 club'

Denis Cheryshev reached the milestone of 100 official matches for Valencia CF this past Sunday against Valladolid. He celebrated the occasion coming on as a substitute and setting up Thierry Correia for the third goal in a 3-0 win at Mestalla.

There have been plenty of highpoints for the Russian attacker, who spoke to VCF Media this week to look back over his century of appearances. Of all of them, the second leg of the 2018/19 Copa del Rey quarter-final tie against Getafe is the one of which he is fondest.

“It is by far the happiest and most emotional game of my entire football career, including all of the games with my previous clubs and even with the national team. It was complete madness."

"We were 1-0 down from the first leg and we were almost eliminated by conceding a goal in the first minute. However, we were strong and our reaction was simply spectacular. I have never seen our fans so enthusiastic and getting behind the team. As we scored more goals, Mestalla got even crazier," he recalls.

"What can I say about Rodrigo's last goal that took us through? It was a spectacular and unforgettable night. I remember when we went out onto the balcony and the whole street was full of excited people, many of them crying. I still remember it with a lot of affection and it still gives me goosebumps."

Another Copa del Rey contest that Cheryshev remembers well was against Sporting Gijon, which marked a return to El Molinón for him.

“It was my home. I was in the Mareo youth system as a kid and I was very happy to return to Gijón and see old teammates and friends there. I hadn't been back for a long time and it was special to remember my childhood and everything I experienced in Asturias."

As for his favourite goal, it came against Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín.

“It was the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals and Betis were 2-0 up. It was a terrible scoreline ahead of the return leg at home. I remember my goal, which made it 2-1, gave us a lot of hope for Mestalla -and then it got even better for us with Gameiro's equaliser."

“With all that said, I hope that the best match for me with Valencia CF is yet to come. I work every day with that hope, so that this team achieve some very special moments that make our fans feel very proud. Hopefully everything that comes from now on is positive for everyone," says the man with 100 games played for the team.