Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Who was Henrikh Mkhitaryan?
Armenian midfielder who has played for top European clubs including Manchester United, Arsenal, and AS Roma, and captains the Armenia national football team.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Henrikh Mkhitaryan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, an Armenian professional footballer born on January 21, 1989, in Yerevan, is considered one of Europe's top midfielders and Armenia's best football player. He currently plays for Serie A club Inter Milan and has had an impressive career across top European leagues, known for his technical skills, vision, and ability to score goals from the midfield.
Mkhitaryan started his professional career with FC Pyunik in Armenia, where he won four Armenian Premier League titles. In 2009, he moved to Ukraine to join Metalurh Donetsk. His abilities got the attention of bigger clubs, leading to a transfer to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010 for €6.1 million. At Shakhtar, he thrived, setting a Ukrainian Premier League goal-scoring record in the 2012-13 season and earning the league's Footballer of the Year award. He achieved three domestic doubles in Ukraine, marking him as a top attacking midfielder in Eastern Europe.
In 2013, Mkhitaryan made a significant move to Borussia Dortmund for a club-record fee of €27.5 million, making him the most expensive Armenian player at the time. While in the Bundesliga, he won the DFL-Supercup in 2014 and had an impressive 15 assists in the 2015-16 season, the most in the Bundesliga and second-most in Europe. His performance at Dortmund grabbed Manchester United's attention, who signed him for £30 million in 2016, making him the first Armenian to play in the Premier League. At United, he won major trophies like the FA Community Shield and the UEFA Europa League, scoring the winning goal in the final against Ajax.
Mkhitaryan's career took him to Arsenal in 2018 in a swap deal involving Alexis Sánchez, followed by a move to AS Roma, initially on loan and then signing permanently in 2020. In 2022, he joined Inter Milan in Serie A. From 2007 to 2022, he became Armenia's all-time leading scorer with 32 goals in 95 matches and scored the nation's first hat-trick. His individual honors include being named Armenian Footballer of the Year twelve times, with seven consecutive wins from 2011 to 2017, and he was the first Armenian to win the CIS Footballer of the Year award in both 2012 and 2013.
Before Fame
Growing up in Yerevan after the Soviet Union fell apart, Mkhitaryan got into football during a time when Armenian sports were going through big changes after Armenia became independent in 1991. He developed his skills in Armenia’s local football scene, starting at FC Pyunik’s youth academy and eventually moving up to their first team.
In the late 2000s, more and more players from Eastern Europe were making a name for themselves in Western European football. The Ukrainian and Russian leagues were important stops for talented players aiming for the top of the sport. Mkhitaryan's move to Ukraine in 2009 fit this pattern, as the Ukrainian Premier League was known for helping players succeed in major European competitions.
Key Achievements
- All-time leading goalscorer for Armenia national team with 32 goals in 95 matches
- Won UEFA Europa League with Manchester United in 2017, scoring the winning goal in the final
- First Armenian to win CIS Footballer of the Year award (2012, 2013)
- Set Ukrainian Premier League goalscoring record in 2012-13 season with Shakhtar Donetsk
- Named Armenian Footballer of the Year twelve times, including seven consecutive years (2011-2017)
Did You Know?
- 01.He scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm
- 02.His €27.5 million transfer to Borussia Dortmund in 2013 was both a club record for Dortmund and made him the most expensive Armenian player ever at that time
- 03.He registered 15 assists in the 2015-16 Bundesliga season, the most in Germany and second-most in all of Europe that year
- 04.He became the first Armenian player to compete in the Premier League when he joined Manchester United in 2016
- 05.He was awarded honorary citizenship of Yerevan, his birth city and Armenia's capital
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| honorary citizen of Yerevan | — | — |