The Black Sea shark

By Igor Linnyk

He may not boast Brazilian-style technique, but with an excellent first touch and a knack for being in the right place at the right time, Olexander Kosyryn is the scoring sensation of the new Ukrainian season.

New hero
Nine goals in his opening ten games for unfancied FC Chornomorets Odesa have helped the 26-year-old emerge as a new hero in the Black Sea city which has long been famous for producing great centre-forwards.

Famous predecessors
Golden Ball winner Ihor Belanov was born in Odessa, while Chornomorets' star performer of the 1990s, Timerlan Guseynov, was the first player to register 100 goals in the Ukrainian league.

Cult of personality
However, few of his illustrious predecessors have received the kind of adulation accorded to Kosyryn, who broke a domestic record by scoring eight goals in seven consecutive matches. His face adorns match programmes, posters and even match tickets.

'Not my idea'
"This is very flattering," he told uefa.com. "But you understand that this is not my idea. To be honest, at first I did not know whether it was good or bad for me. I like to be low key, really."

Goalscoring touch
The pacy striker joined Chornomorets last season with the club lying bottom of the Ukrainian Premier League. However, with the arrival of Semen Altman as coach, Kosyryn found his scoring touch, netting eight times in 15 games as Chornomorets defied the odds to avoid relegation.

Great form
The man they call the 'Shark' has carried that form into the new campaign, scoring six of Chornomorets' nine league goals to propel the club into fifth place in the table - behind Ukraine's big four, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and FC Metalurh Donetsk.

Striking instinct
However, the Zaporizhya-born forward is not concerned with personal achievements. "A player should not count goals," he said. "My task is to score, again and again. You cannot do it any other way in Odessa."

Dynamo move
Kosyryn's journey to the top has been tortuous. Having made his debut for FC Torpedo Zaporizhya at the age of 18, Kosyryn joined FC Dynamo Kyiv in 1996/97. However, he failed to make an impact at a time when Andriy Shevchenko and Serhiy Rebrov were calling the shots.

On form
After being limited to three first-team appearances in three years, Kosyryn moved to Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC in Israel before joining FC Arsenal Kyiv a year later. However, it was not until his transfer to 1992 and 1994 Ukrainian Cup winners Chornomorets that he hit form.

National hopes
Now, that goalscoring habit has brought him to the attention of another of Odessa's favourite sons - Ukraine coach Leonid Buryak. While he missed out on the chance to compete with his national side in their UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign, he could yet have a future in international football.

Ukraine interest
"On the pitch, I am trying to do what I am told by the club," said Kosyryn. "But making the national team is the ultimate dream of every player. I will try to improve on what I have done. But first and foremost I want my team to improve - the team always comes first."

Pastures new
The striker's contract expires next year, but everyone in Odessa is keen to see a new deal signed as soon as possible. However, should the right offer come in, the 'Shark' could yet be leaving the Black Sea for more lucrative feeding grounds.