Guirassy's rise from journeyman to Champions League 'goal machine'

Serhou Guirassy - a man pinch a humble profession until 2 years agone - finds himself astatine nan apical of nan Champions League scoring charts aft his hat-trick against Barcelona, though it was not capable to forestall Borussia Dortmund going out.

The striker, 29, has relegations from nan German and French apical tiers connected his CV - and had ne'er produced a 15-goal play until past term.

His six transfers successful a journeyman profession often deed by wounded person costs a mixed £45m.

But now nan Guinea guardant is nan Champions League's apical scorer pinch 13 goals.

"He has been perfectly astonishing successful this competition, he's been a goalscoring machine," two-time Champions League victor Owen Hargreaves told TNT Sports.

"There will beryllium a batch of teams looking astatine Guirassy. He's scored each those goals for Stuttgart, now astatine Dortmund. A large beingness beingness and a earthy goalscorer."

BBC Sport looks astatine nan singular emergence of Guirassy - who has been linked pinch a big of British clubs passim his career.

Guirassy, past a France Under-19s international, made his first-team breakthrough astatine Laval and scored six goals successful 29 games successful nan 2014-15 Ligue 2 campaign.

QPR and Leeds United were some linked pinch him earlier he moved to Lille that summertime for a reported 1m euros (now £840,000).

Herve Renard was nan head who brought him to Lille - but was sacked successful November and, aft only 3 Ligue 1 starts, Guirassy was sent connected indebtedness to second-tier Auxerre successful January.

He scored 8 goals successful 16 games but Lille - who mislaid to Dortmund successful nan past 16 of this season's Champions League - sold him that summer.

Arsenal, still managed by Arsene Wenger then, were reportedly scouting him during that indebtedness spell to Auxerre.

But alternatively he moved to Cologne - successful a somewhat prolonged deal.

The German broadside spotted thing successful his aesculapian and nan clubs had a insignificant warfare of words earlier Cologne yet negotiated a little interest - understood to beryllium astir 4m euros (now £3.4m).

Injuries would blight his clip location and he managed conscionable 21 Bundesliga appearances, and 4 goals, successful his first 2 seasons earlier their relegation.

According to Transfermarkt he has missed 75 games done wounded aliases unwellness successful his career, pinch 41 of them coming during his clip astatine Cologne.

He netted conscionable 2 goals successful nan opening half of nan 2018-19 German 2nd tier play earlier returning to France to subordinate Amiens connected loan.

Guirassy netted 3 Ligue 1 goals successful nan 2nd half of 2018-19 and Amiens paid astir 5m euros (about £4.2m now) to motion him permanently that summer.

West Ham, Aston Villa, Leicester, Bournemouth, Brighton and Tottenham were each reportedly willing successful signing him midway done nan 2019-20 play - but he ended up staying astatine Amiens arsenic they were relegated to Ligue 2.

Amiens sports head John Williams says Guirassy turned down a move to Chelsea successful nan summertime of 2020 because he wanted first-team guarantees - truthful alternatively he moved to French top-flight Rennes for astir 15m euros (now £12.6m).

He deed double figures for nan first 2 times successful his profession pinch 25 goals successful 2 seasons - but a return to Germany was calling.

Everton were nan latest British squad to beryllium linked to him erstwhile he was leaving Rennes successful 2022 - and were supposedly adjacent to signing him astatine 1 stage.

But alternatively he went backmost to nan Bundesliga, joining Stuttgart successful a indebtedness deal.

He scored 14 goals, including 1 successful nan promotion-relegation play-off triumph complete Hamburg, arsenic he avoided a 3rd relegation successful his career.

Stuttgart made nan signing imperishable for a interest of astir 9m euros (now £7.6m).

And past his profession really sewage going.

The 2023-24 play was nan twelvemonth Guirassy really recovered his shooting boots.

In each competitions past play he netted 30 goals successful 30 games for Stuttgart - successful an injury-hit campaign.

He scored 28 Bundesliga goals successful arsenic galore games - 1 each 79 minutes - and only missed retired connected nan Golden Boot to Harry Kane's 36.

Stuttgart vanished 2nd successful nan array down Bayer Leverkusen.

Guirassy was unfortunate because without Kane, he would person won not only nan German top-scorer grant but besides nan European Golden Shoe - awarded to nan starring scorer crossed Europe's apical leagues.

Despite missing respective games done injury, he played 2,211 minutes successful nan convention (equivalent to 24.5 afloat games) - nan astir successful his career.

It was astatine Stuttgart excessively that he became a elder world for Guinea, having represented France astatine younker level.

Manchester United and Newcastle United were among nan English teams to beryllium linked to him past summer.

But he alternatively moved to Borussia Dortmund, who triggered a merchandise clause to motion him for £14.7m.

Another wounded delayed his debut but he has been prolific since getting into nan squad - pinch 28 goals successful 40 games.

Thirteen of those person travel successful nan Champions League, successful his debut play successful Europe's apical title - nan astir ever scored by an African subordinate successful a azygous campaign.

"I understand that my shape mightiness astonishment some, but I'm not surprised," he said recently., external

"I person had 2 crazy seasons, but I've not changed anything. I'm not moving more, I'm not sleeping more, I'm not doing much video analysis.

"It's conscionable a mobility of confidence. And I person understood that astatine nan highest level, talent isn't enough.

"You person to push done nan symptom obstruction successful challenges, successful nan effort you put in, successful making high-intensity runs again and again, much quickly and much often than your opponents.

"Perhaps that is wherever nan alteration has travel from."