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Time in Yerevan: 11:07,   29 March 2024

Henrikh Mkhitaryan congratulates Mircea Lucescu

Henrikh Mkhitaryan congratulates Mircea Lucescu

YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The midfielder of the Armenian National Football Team and Borussia Dortmund Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined the action of a group of prominent footballers, who starred in a video clip, where they congratulate Mircea Lucescu on the 10th anniversary of becoming the manager of Shakhtar Donetsk.

As reports “Armenpress”, Mkhitaryan stated: “Hi, Mister! I want to congratulate You on the occasion of the 10th anniversary in Shakhtar. Thank You for the joint activities. I wish You further success with Shakhtar and all the best. Thank You very much.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is an Armenian footballer who plays as a midfielder for the German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Armenia national football team. Mkhitaryan is Armenia's all-time top goalscorer, scoring 12 goals in 43 international matches since his debut in January 2007. His previous clubs include Pyunik Yerevan, where he came through the youth system, Metalurh Donetsk, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Mkhitaryan was chosen Armenian Footballer of the Year in 2009, 2011 and 2012. In 2012 he was voted as the best Shakhtar player of 2011–12 season by the fans, and Ukraine Premier League MVP. In 2012, Mkhitaryan was named in UEFA's Top 100 players by UEFA European Football Yearbook 2012–13. Mkhitaryan was voted the CIS Footballer of the Year for 2012, making him the first Armenian footballer to be named the best player from post-Soviet countries. Mkhitaryan received the nickname Heno from his fans in Armenia and has recently been nicknamed Micki by his Borussia Dortmund fans.

Mkhitaryan was born on 22 January 1989 in the Armenian capital Yerevan to Marina Taschyan and Hamlet Mkhitaryan, a prominent striker of FC Ararat Yerevan during the 1980s, who died of a brain tumor at age 33. His mother is the head of the national teams department in the Armenian Football Federation and his elder sister, Monica, works at UEFA's headquarters.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the Mkhitaryan family moved to France, where Hamlet Mkhitaryan played for the now defunct ASOA Valence helped them to be to be promoted to the second division League 2. The Mkhitaryans returned to Yerevan in 1995. Mkhitaryan graduated from the Institute of Physical Culture in Armenia. He currently studies economics at the Yerevan branch of the St. Petersburg Institute. Upon graduation, he plans to study there as a lawyer. Growing up, Mkhitaryan considered Zinedine Zidane his football idol.

Due to his success in the 2009 Armenian Premier League at Pyunik Yerevan, he joined Ukrainian Premier League club Metalurh Donetsk.

Mkhitaryan joined Metalurh Donetsk. He scored a goal on his debut in a 3–0 victory against Belarusian Premier League side FC Partizan Minsk, in the Europa League on 16 July 2009.On 19 July, he made his league debut in a 0–0 draw with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. His first league goal came in a 2–2 draw with Karpaty Lviv on 26 July. On 6 August, he scored the first goal in a 3–0 second leg Europa League win against Slovenian Interblock Ljubljana, winning 5–0 on aggregate. He finished the season with 14 goals in 38 appearances, including 29 league matches and 9 goals.

On 30 August, he sealed a $7.5 million switch to reigning Premier League champions Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mkhitaryan played in 2–0 2012 Super Cup victory over Metalurh Donetsk. In his first match of the 2012–2013 Premier League season, he netted twice and provided two assists in a 6–0 season opening victory against Arsenal Kyiv. He managed a hat-trick against Chornomorets Odesa in a 5–1 win to reach 10 goals for the season after just six games, equaling his tally for the previous season. On 19 September, in Shakhtar's first Champions League match of the season, Mkhitaryan scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Danish champions Nordsjælland. This was the first time he had scored a goal in the Champions League and he was named Man of the Match. He was also named in the Team of the Week for matchday 1 of the Champions League after his brace against Nordsjælland. On 16 March 2013, Mkhitaryan played his 100th game in the Ukrainian Premier League in a match against Chornomorets Odesa.

On 11 May 2013, Mkhitaryan scored his 23rd and 24th goals of the Premier League season in a 5–0 victory over Tavria. These goals set a Ukrainian Premier League record for most goals in a season. Mkhitaryan finished the season with 25 league goals, and the attacking midfielder was praised for his technique and dedication.

On 25 June, Borussia Dortmund made a €25 million ($30 million) bid, but in confirming the offer Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin insisted that it fell short of the clubs valuation, which was a single payment of €30m (£25m). In the same press conference, Palkin confirmed the acquisition of Brazilian Fred from Sport Club Internacional for €15m (£12.5m), a likely replacement. On 5 July, it was reported that Borussia Dortmund has succeeded in talks with Shakhtar and Mkhitaryan was on his way to Germany for a medical test. On 8 July, Borussia Dortmund announced that it was set to sign a four-year deal with Mkhitaryan for €25 (£21.5) million. Shakhtar and Borussia officially "resolved all the necessary formalities" and agreed on €27.5 (£23.6) million, making him the most expensive purchase in the club's history.

On his debut in a pre-season friendly against FC Basel on 10 July 2013, Mkhitaryan set up a goal for Marco Reus in the 11th minute and scored his first goal for the club 16 minutes later, helping his side to a 3–1 victory away at St. Jakob-Park. Mkhitaryan couldn't take part and wasn't listed in the squad at the 2013 DFL-Supercup which his club won due to an injury he received on a friendly game before that. Mkhitaryan debuted for BVB following his return from a three weeks sustained injury in the second round of 2013–14 Bundesliga on 18 August 2013 in a BVB victory over Eintracht Braunschweig at BVB's Signal Iduna Park. Mkhitaryan's first two Bundesliga goals were decisive in a 2–1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt to keep Dortmund in first place in the Bundesliga. His first Champions League goal for Dortmund came in a 1–2 away win against Arsenal.

Mkhitaryan is capable of playing positions of both second striker and attacking midfielder. He thrives playing just behind the strikers, where he always looks to link up with his teammates in and around the box. Tearing apart opposition defenses time and time again, he makes space for the striker/wingers to exploit and create goal scoring opportunities. Mkhitaryan has been praised for his technique, movement, accurate passing, dribbling, creativity, ball control and work rate. He is equipped with a dangerous shot, trickery to beat defenders, and a superb vision to go for the pass.

During the 2012–13 season, former Scottish footballer Pat Nevin said of Mkhitaryan, "Eleven goals in eight league matches already is fantastic, but when you add that he is a midfielder, it is phenomenal. You may not have heard of him yet, even if all the scouts at the top European clubs have, but you soon will. He has pace, skill, a rocket of a shot and the ability to arrive in the box like Frank Lampard. This all singles him out as a player who must be watched or more importantly marked."

Mkhitaryan is currently one of the most important members of the Armenia national team. He debuted in an away friendly match against Panama on 14 January 2007.

He scored six goals for Armenia in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group B, thus becoming top goalscorer in that group. Although Armenia did not advance past the qualifying stage for UEFA Euro 2012, Mkhitaryan's performances landed him in the UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying Dream Team with six goals.








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