Denied involvement in the 2008 UEFA Cup final through suspension, FC Zenit St. Petersburg striker Pavel Pogrebnyak nevertheless left his mark on the competition by scoring ten goals. A classic target man, he could be a trump card for Russia at UEFA EURO 2008.

A graduate of FC Spartak Moskva's academy, he struggled to make an impact with the first team – despite productive loan spells at FC Baltika Kaliningrad and FC Khimki.
Moved to FC Shinnik Yaroslavl in 2005 but managed just four goals in league; far more successful in 2006 at FC Tom Tomsk where he struck 13 times in 26 games and earned place in Guus Hiddink's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying squad.

Scored winner in his, and Hiddink's, first game for Russia – 1-0 v Latvia – and also on target in UEFA EURO 2008 qualifier against Estonia (2-0).

Joined Zenit in 2007 (his sixth club in as many years), scoring eleven goals to help club to Premier-Liga title. Key member of UEFA Cup-winning team despite absence from climax in Manchester.

Did you know?
Although Pogrebnyak is credited as the joint-top scorer in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup with FC Bayern München's Luca Toni, he actually scored one goal more than the Italian. However, as it came in a qualifying match, it does not count in the competition's official statistics.