Henrikh Mkhitaryan's Autobiography to Be Ready by Year-End

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal 2nd leg match between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the Armenian midfielder of the Italian club, joined head coach Simone Inzaghi in answering journalists' questions at the pre-match press conference on April 15. Mkhitaryan has experience facing Bayern from his time at Borussia Dortmund. Armenpress managed to ask Henrikh Mkhitaryan a few questions after the press conference.

Armenpress: I’d like to note that during your time at Dortmund, matches against Bayern were often tough and uneven, as Munich’s team always stood in the way of your success. Now, considering Inter’s win in Allianz Arena, what are your expectations for tomorrow’s match?

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Let’s start with the fact that I played in Dortmund over ten years ago. Football was completely different back then. Truly different. Now I’m at Inter - a different team, a different environment, and football has changed a lot in recent years. Bayern is also a completely different team now. I myself play in a different position - my role at Inter is different. A lot has changed.
During my time at Dortmund, I had both successes and failures against Bayern, but tomorrow’s match will be entirely different. The situation is not the same now. Playing against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals puts you in a different mindset - this isn’t a championship match. I must give my all, and the team must do the same to win tomorrow and advance to the next stage to semi-finals. That’s our dream. We want to go as far as possible in this tournament.

Armenpress: Let’s talk about your physical condition. Inter is competing on all fronts: Coppa Italia, Champions League, Serie A… In the last league match, you didn’t get any minutes. Considering you’re already 36, do you sometimes consult with the coach about how much you should play or whether it’s worth playing at all? How do you maintain your fitness?

H.M.: There has never been such a discussion between me and coach Simone Inzaghi—no talks about whether I should play or not, which matches are worth playing, or when I should rest. It’s not my decision. On the contrary, I’m ready to play every match. Yes, sometimes the coach may decide whether I play in a particular game, like last week in Serie A [Mkhitaryan didn’t play against Cagliari, staying on the bench]. I wasn’t consulted about that match. I’m not in a position to ask the coach why I didn’t play or why I’m not starting. I’m ready to help the club and the team in any situation, though at 36, it’s not easy physically. Still, I try to perform at my best. I take care of myself to stay fit for 90 minutes.
There’s no issue regarding playing or not - if I don’t play, someone else will. If they’re not ready, there are plenty of players in the team squad. At Inter, we help each other.
We’re competing on three fronts, as you said, and it’s thanks to our dedication and mutual support that we’ve come this far. Today is April 15, but we’re still fighting for every possible trophy. We must continue with the same spirit.

Armenpress: You’ve mentioned before that you follow the Armenian league. Yesterday, Noah set a new record—are you aware?

H.M.: Luigi [addresses the club’s press officer in Italian], didn’t we agree I’d only talk about Inter? Sorry, but I won’t comment [laughs].

Armenpress: Henrikh, one more question. Today, I met Alessandro [Alessandro Alciato, who has written autobiographies of Carlo Ancelotti, Andriy Shevchenko, Andrea Pirlo, and others], the contributor of your autobiography. He said the book is progressing quickly. When will it be published?

H.M.: You can contact the publishing company—they can give you more precise details and dates. But I think it’ll be ready by the end of the year. Right now, I can’t give an exact date - maybe October.

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After a brief conversation with sports journalist Alessandro Alciato, it became clear that Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s autobiography will most likely be ready by the end of this year and will be presented at one of Italy’s book festivals in October (near Venice). The book will be in Italian, but alongside the original edition, the Armenian and English versions will also be published.

Photos and article by Harutyun Tsatryan