Seydou Doumbia, the CSKA Moscow striker, returned to Russia on Wednesday as a headline-making hero after his two goals earned victory, 2-1, away at Manchester City in the Uefa Champions League. Doumbia, whose CSKA face Dinamo in a Moscow derby on Sunday, is becoming City's nemesis: In four matches against them, he has scored five times.
His path
The 26 year old has had a roundabout journey to the elite level of the game. As a child, he was brought up mainly by his grandparents, his father absent and his mother still very young when she had him. He started earning for a family of limited means at the age of 11, selling packets of paper handkerchiefs to motorists stuck in traffic on the roads of Abidjan, the biggest city in his native Ivory Coast.
At the academy
Football gave him an alternative path. He enrolled in one of Abidjan’s many academies, Inter FC, which was attached to a second-division club. By 17, he was the Ivorian top flight’s highest scorer for a season, with AS Denguele. He had hopes of playing in France, and interest from Ligue 1 clubs, but could not secure a visa.
Going east
So he took a less orthodox route: to Japan. At Kashiwa Reysol, he was marginalised, but he enjoyed some success on loan in the second division with Tokushima Vortis, on Shikoku island. Then came his lucky break. The Ivory Coast were playing in the Kirin Cup tournament in Japan in 2008. Several players dropped out or suffered injury, so Doumbia got an unexpected call-up. He won a first cap and impressed with his pace and strength.
To Europe
A transfer to Switzerland followed. At Young Boys Berne, he was the Swiss Player of the Year and the league’s top scorer awards in successive years. AC Milan scouted him, but CSKA swooped. He has been with them since 2010 and has twice been the Russian Premier League’s leading marksman, including last season.
International
Disappointed to be left out of Ivory Coast's 2014 World Cup squad, he announced his retirement from internationals, but has since rescinded. He cites a compatriot, Chelsea's Didier Drogba, as a major influence on his career. With Drogba now retired from the Ivorian team, Doumbia has an opportunity to fill the spearhead striker role for Les Elephants.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
