Aras Özbiliz to play in “Beşiktaş” since next season

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. “Beşiktaş” football club’s transfer committee headErdal Torunoğulları informed that Armenian National team’s footballer Aras Özbiliz will play in their club since the next season, Turkish “Hurriyet” newspaper reports, which calls Armenian footballer an “Armenian Messi”.

“We have important plans with Özbiliz in the next season. He will play in “Rayo Vallecano” on six months loan. In the coming season he will show what kind of footballer he is already wearing “Beşiktaş” jersey,” Erdal Torunoğulları said.

According to the information, the Armenian National’s winger has reached an agreement on all terms with the Black Eagles and came to Istanbul on January 21 at 12:45 to sign a contract for 4,5 years after he passes his medical.

As “Armenpress” reports, citingbesiktas-international.comwebsite, Ozbiliz will be bought from “Spartak Moscow” for a fee ofaround € 3 million and will be directly loaned out to Spanish La LigasideRayo Vallecanountil the end of the season. Reason for this is because “Besiktas” footballer Gökhan Töre will most likely be sold at the end of the season. Ozbiliz will have 6 months to get in good shape at a good level, La Liga, and he can immediately take Töre’s place when he is sold for a good transfer fee.

Aras was born on 9 March 1990 in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, to Armenian parents. He was named after the Aras River. His ancestors adopted the surname "Ozbiliz", 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. He playedtwo seasons for the Dutch club’s first team, in which he had some very good games. His most memorable moment for them was when he scored the equalizer at Old Trafford against Manchester United in 2012. At the end of that season he was sold to Krasnodar, before moving to Spartak Moscow only one year later for a transfer fee of € 8 million.

In mid-May 2010, Aras Ozbiliz was invited by the Football Federation of Armenia to take part in the formation of the youth national team of Armenia. 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 Ozbiliz received Armenian citizenship and became a player of the Armenia national football team. Ozbiliz 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.