His performances persuaded Spartak and national coach
Oleg Romantsev to call him up into the national squad
for the Russia's friendly against the Republic of
Ireland in February even before he had made his
premier league debut.
Sychev didn't make it onto the field in the defeat in
Dublin but perhaps he should have.
Once he made his
league debut for Spartak in March he quickly began
scoring and has not stopped since.
With six goals in his first six games he is the league's top scorer and
was one of the few bright spots in Russia's humiliating defeat against Estonia on 27 March, setting up Vladimir Beschastnykh's goal on his debut.
"We are so lucky to have Sychev" said Romantsev, who
knows his goals are partly carrying a Spartak team
that is playing far from it's best football.
he has only played one game for the national team he
is already considered a must for the World Cup squad.
When he was taken off injured in his last game,
newspapers compared it to effect of David Beckham's
injury for England.
Born in Omsk in Siberia, Sychyov left his hometown as
a teenager for the Smena football school in St.
There, he was spotted almost immediatly
by the national youth team.
After playing in the
European youth championships in Israel in 2000, where
Russia reached the quarterfinals, he moved to second
division side Spartak Tambov.