Jajá enjoying high life at Metalist

The rapid rise of FC Metalist Kharkiv striker Jajá has been a talking point of the Ukrainian season and his form shows no signs of dipping after two goals against FC Arsenal Kyiv last week took the 22-year-old back to the top of the Premier League scoring chart.

Goal surge
Eleven games into the campaign, the Brazilian has already registered nine league goals and another four in the UEFA Cup and Ukrainian Cup. His long-range shooting, seen to devastating effect against FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Beşiktaş JK, has caught the eye, yet Jajá credits his success to Metalist's own defenders whom he faces every day in training. "Milan Obradović and Papa Gueye are the best defenders in Ukraine," he said, adding: "It makes no difference to me whether I score a tap-in, a screamer, with a back-heel or with my head, although people think my left foot is my most dangerous asset. However, I have to admit it was initially difficult to settle here after my move from Spain."

Much travelled
Jajá, whose peripatetic career belies his youth, had also failed to settle with Getafe CF during a six-month spell in the Madrid suburbs in 2006. By then he had already been on the books of América FC, Feyenoord and KVC Westerlo, and the forward returned to Belgium with KRC Genk and Westerlo again after a short interlude on home soil with CR Flamengo. Finally, he landed at Metalist, from Westerlo, last winter. "I decided to have a change of scene," explained Jajá, who has a five-year contract with Ukraine's third-placed team. Although the newcomer managed only three goals in eleven league outings last spring, coach Myron Markevich kept faith in him. "I needed time to understand the demands of my team-mates, to get used to them and to find a place in their game," he said. "Fortunately, our coach encourages a fast team game. I like to know what the coaches expect and how the other players operate. They all expect me to score and I am happy to do that."

Top-three finishes
Jajá is usually partnered by Serbian Marko Dević – the leading marksman in the Premier League last season – and the pair will attempt to fire Metalist to an even better position than in the past two campaigns. The club finished third both times, and fill the same slot now, but if Jajá can continue his exploits away to FC Metalurh Donetsk on Sunday, Metalist will move within two points of the second-placed side. Then the Ukrainian football public will have something else to talk about.