A number of African players have followed the path of Cameroonian Jerry-Christian Tchuisse to Russia.

BBC Sport Online profiles the top stars of the Russian Premier League:

Jacob Lekgetho: Emerged as a player of quality in the Uefa Champions League and was courted by the likes of Lazio in Italy.

Injury ruled him out of the African Nations Cup finals in Mali, where he would have been a first choice starter but he went to the World Cup, although played just briefly under Jomo Sono.

Lekgetho joined his Russian club in March 2000 from his only previous employer, Moroka Swallows.

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Bennett Mnguni: One of the outstanding performers in last year's African Champions League campaign for runners-up Mamelodi Sundowns, he moved to Moscow after the African Nations Cup finals in Mali.

Mnguni is a hard worker in the midfield, effective as both a ball winner but also playing just behind the front two strikers. He was a squad member for Bafana Bafana at the recent World Cup finals.

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James Obiorah: The 23-year-old striker is a former teenage prodigy who played at Anderlecht in Belgium before his star faded.

Last season, he restored some of his credibility for Lokomotiv in the Champions League.

He also scored for Nigeria in only his second appearance against Jamaica in London on May and was a late inclusion in the Super Eagles' World Cup squad.

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