WATCH: Barcelona fans give Cheryshev standing ovation

January recruit Denis Cheryshev would have been hoping for a rousing reception when he made his Valencia debut - but he never would have expected it to be the Barcelona fans who cheered him onto the pitch!

The Russian came off the bench in the Copa del Rey to make his first appearance for Los Che, who he joined on deadline day on loan from Barca's fierce rivals Real Madrid.

But far from getting the hostile reception one might expect, the Camp Nou crowd rose to their feet, cheering and applauding Cheryshev as he jogged onto the pitch.

And the reason for Barca's good will was simple: Cheryshev was the ineligible player fielded by Rafa Benitez in the Copa del Rey last 32 against Cadiz, and the reason Madrid were kicked out of the competition.

Barca were already in high spirits due to the side's dominant performance on Wednesday night; the Catalans were 3-0 up when Cheryshev entered the fray after 58 minutes, and ended the night with a 7-0 victory and one foot in the final.

"Cheryshev te quiero!" ("I love you!") chanted the fans as the Russian prepared to come on, and the fun might have lasted a whole lot longer had Lionel Messi not scored seconds later to give the home fans something else to celebrate.