Aras Özbiliz not satisfied with his performance

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Armenian national football team and “Spartak” football club Aras Özbiliz is not satisfied with his performance in the match against “Dynamo”.

He noted that “Spartak” did not show its best performance though it won 3 points, adding that he did not play well either and was not satisfied with his game. Özbiliz said that he was not in the physical form to play excellently which was understandable. The match with “Dynamo” was very important for him. “Armenpress” reports, Özbiliz said.

In the 13th tour of the Russian Premier League “Spartak” defeated “Dynamo” with a score 2:3.

Aras Özbiliz was born 9 March 1990. He is an Armenian football player who currently plays right-winger for the Armenian national teamand for Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow.

Aras was born on 9 March 1990 in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, Turkey to Armenian parents. He was named after the Aras River, a body of water in Armenia. His ancestors adopted the surname "Özbiliz", literally meaning "one, who preserves his identity." In the early 1990s, his family emigrated from Turkey to the Netherlands. Five years later, he started playing football for the youth team of HVV Hollandia. When he was eight years old, Aras joined the youth team of Ajax. While playing for the youth team, Ozbiliz received two serious injuries, first tearing a cruciate knee ligament, after which he needed an operation, and then a shoulder injury.

In mid-May 2010, Aras Özbiliz was invited by the Football Federation of Armenia to take part in the formation of the youth national team of Armenia. In the words of Aras, he's never been to Armenia, but he hopes to gain a spot in the youth team. In the Armenian capital Yerevan, Aras arrived on the evening of 30 May. He immediately started working in Pyunik Yerevan, allowing the head coach of the team Vardan Minasyan to get closely acquainted with him. In training, Özbiliz was also presented with the coach of the Armenian national team, Dane Flemming Serritslev. He noted that the Aras made a good impression, but as of now he cannot play for the national team because he has a problem with his documents.

In early February 2011, the Armenian head coach Minasyan said Özbiliz was going to choose between the teams of Armenia and the Netherlands. To persuade the player to play for Armenia, Vice-President of the Football Federation of Armenia Ashot Manukyan went to the Netherlands to negotiate with Aras. Manukyan, in turn, said that Ozbiliz was in no hurry with his choice of the national team and wanted to gain a foothold in Ajax and then make a final decision, and he was likely to help the Armenian team in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Russia. The Vice-President of the Football Federation of Armenia stressed that the question of citizenship in Armenia for Ozbiliz was no problem and to be resolved by the president of the country's approval.

In late March 2011, the footballer reportedly expressed a desire to play for the Netherlands, as Özbiliz apparently stated he has a chance to progress with the Netherlands and so he chose them. However, these rumors were proven false in early June, when Aras decided to play for Armenia. Aras was quoted as saying, "Netherlands might be a good choice in sporting terms but my heart beats for Armenia. That's why I made this choice." He asked not to be brought for the match with Russia due to the fact that he had little training. In August, Özbiliz was called for a friendly match with Lithuania, which was scheduled for 10 August in Kaunas, but although he was in the starting lineup, he did not get even come off the bench before the match and his participation was in doubt, as the 21-year-old player felt pain in his back. The game ended with the defeat of the Armenian national team 3–0.

In early October 2011, Aras was called to play the match against Armenia and Macedonia, which was held on 7 October. On 4 October 2011, on order of the President Serzh Sargsyan, Aras Ozbilis received Armenian citizenship and became a player of the Armenia national football team. Özbiliz was given from the President of the Football Federation of Armenia Ruben Hayrapetyan an Armenia team T-shirt with the number 23.

On 29 February 2012, Aras debuted for the national team of Armenia during a friendly match with Canada and scored a goal in that same match.