Doumbia - Russia's African Red Army goal sniper
MOSCOW (AFP) - The footballing career of Ivory Coast forward Seydou Doumbia is blossoming after taking a front line place in Russian Premier League side CSKA Moscow and topping the league scorers' chart.
The 23-year-old forward, who made his CSKA debut last summer, needed little time to become an integral member of the squad.
Last year he was in the shadow of his Brazilian teammate Vagner Love, but nevertheless still scored nine goals in 15 matches for CSKA -- the former Red Army team -- in the Premier League and the European tournaments.
This season Doumbia is the top scorer in the country with 12 goals in 21 matches so far. He has also netted four goals in the Russian Cup.
CSKA manager Leonid Slutsky praised Doumbia's unorthodox approach.
"Sometimes he looks awkward on the pitch," Slutsky said. "It looks obvious when he starts dribbling. However, his natural virtuosity allows him to keep the situation under control and to come out of it victorious."
"He has no football 'schooling' in the classical meaning. He's a self-taught footballer with a very specific manner of playing. Now I understand why he was often under-estimated in his previous teams."
Doumbia started playing at 12 before making his professional debut in 2003. A year later he won the Ivory Coast title with ASEK Mimosas of Abijan.
In 2005 he played for Denguele Sports of Odienne, where he was the Ivory Coast league's top scorer with 20 goals in 15 matches.
This attracted the attention of the scouts and in 2006 he moved to Japanese J-league side Kashiwa Reysol.
However, he failed to prove himself there and was signed by Swiss side Young Boys.
His first season with the Swiss club was a success as he scored 20 goals in 32 matches to become the league's top scorer despite starting just five of those games from the outset.
In 2010 CSKA lured Doumbia from Young Boys for 10 million euros on a four-year deal.
The striker played his first Russian league match in the Moscow derby against Spartak on August 1 with his team winning 2-1.
"I like Russia and Moscow in particular," Doumbia said. "I experienced few difficulties during my adaptation period and now I feel comfortably here."
"Yes, it's a harsh winter in Russia but the league is on a recess in winter so we don't need to play at -20C. Besides, I was previously playing in Switzerland, where the weather also isn't like in Africa."
This season, he underlined his new status scoring both CSKA's goals in the Russian Cup final on May 22, in which CSKA beat Alania Vladikavkaz 2-1, a performance which won him the player of the match award.
"It's my first ever trophy," Doumbia said after the final. "I have never won anything before. And I never thought that winning a trophy would give such an unbelievable feeling."
Like many players, Doumbia dreams of moving to the English Premier League and starring for Chelsea.
"Chelsea have always been my dream club since I was a schoolboy," Doumbia said. "It's a dream but it has never been an obsession."