A talented young striker with a knack for scoring crucial goals, Aleksandr Kokorin could be a surprise package in Russia's UEFA EURO 2012 squad. He made his debut in November 2011 after scoring a glut of goals for the Under-21 side and is now in his fourth season of Russian Premier League football with FC Dinamo Moskva.

• Played youth football for FC Lokomotiv Moskva before moving to Dinamo and making a big early impression when he became the club's youngest goalscorer in the Russian Premier League, finding the net on his debut − against FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast on 4 October 2008.

• Also scored on his second start − a month later in a 1-0 win at Lokomotiv − but managed just two more league goals in 2009 and none at all after falling out of favour in 2010.

• Hit the winner for Dinamo against Celtic FC in Glasgow on his UEFA club competition debut − in the first leg of a 2009/10 UEFA Champions League qualifying tie.

• Returned to form and favour in 2011/12, especially in the autumn, when he scored an extra-time winner in the Russian Cup to eliminate big-spending FC Anzhi Makhachkala.

• Struck four goals in two games for Russia's Under-21 side − a hat-trick against Moldova and one against Portugal − prior to his selection for the senior squad and a first cap in a Piraeus friendly against Greece on 11 November 2011.