Henrikh Mkhitaryan facts for kids
Mkhitaryan with Manchester United in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | ||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
|
Inter Milan | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2006 | Pyunik | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2009 | Pyunik | 70 | (30) |
| 2009–2010 | Metalurh Donetsk | 37 | (12) |
| 2010–2013 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 72 | (38) |
| 2013–2016 | Borussia Dortmund | 90 | (23) |
| 2016–2018 | Manchester United | 39 | (5) |
| 2018–2020 | Arsenal | 39 | (8) |
| 2019–2020 | → Roma (loan) | 22 | (9) |
| 2020–2022 | Roma | 65 | (18) |
| 2022– | Inter Milan | 99 | (6) |
| International career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Armenia U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | Armenia U19 | 6 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Armenia U21 | 13 | (9) |
| 2007–2021 | Armenia | 95 | (32) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:45, 18 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenian: Հենրիխ Մխիթարյան; born 21 January 1989) is a professional footballer from Armenia. He plays as a midfielder for the Italian club Inter Milan.
Mkhitaryan started his career winning four Armenian Premier League titles with Pyunik. In 2009, he joined Metalurh Donetsk. He then moved to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010 for €6.1 million.
At Shakhtar, Mkhitaryan set a league goalscoring record in the 2012–13 season. He was also named the league's Footballer of the Year. After winning three domestic doubles (league and cup wins), he signed with Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. This transfer cost €27.5 million, making him the most expensive Armenian player ever.
With Dortmund, he won the DFL-Supercup in 2014. In the next season, he made the most assists in the Bundesliga. He then joined Manchester United for £30 million (€34.3 million). This made him the first Armenian to play in the Premier League. He won the FA Community Shield and scored the winning goal in the UEFA Europa League final.
Mkhitaryan later moved to Arsenal in 2018. He then joined Roma on loan, signing permanently in 2020. In 2022, he moved to Inter Milan. He played for Armenia's national team from 2007 until 2022. He is Armenia's all-time top goalscorer with 32 goals in 95 matches. He has been named Armenian Footballer of the Year twelve times.
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was born on January 21, 1989, in Yerevan, Armenia. His father, Hamlet Mkhitaryan, was a famous football player in the 1980s. Sadly, his father passed away when Henrikh was seven years old.
Henrikh felt his father's death deeply. He believes his father would have given him great advice. People who saw both play say they had similar styles. Henrikh feels his father watches him and is proud. His mother works for the Football Federation of Armenia. His older sister, Monika, works at UEFA.
In the early 1990s, Henrikh's family lived in France. His father played football there. Henrikh spent his early childhood in Valence. He always wanted to be a footballer, just like his dad. He would watch his father train and wanted to join him.
The family returned to Yerevan in 1995. That same year, Henrikh joined the youth team of FC Pyunik. He also studied economics and planned to study law later. When he was 14, Mkhitaryan had trials with São Paulo in Brazil. He played alongside future stars like Hernanes and Oscar. He returned to Pyunik in 2004. His football idol growing up was Zinedine Zidane.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Strong at Pyunik
Mkhitaryan joined the FC Pyunik youth system in 1995. He got his first salary at age 15. He made his professional debut for Pyunik in 2006 when he was 17. In his last season with the club in 2009, he scored 11 goals in 10 games.
During his four seasons with Pyunik, they won the Armenian Premier League four times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009). They also won the Armenian Supercup twice and the Armenian Cup once. His coach, Vardan Minasyan, said Henrikh could win games by himself. He added that Henrikh was becoming a legend.
Moving to Ukraine: Metalurh and Shakhtar
After his success at Pyunik, Mkhitaryan joined Ukrainian Premier League club Metalurh Donetsk in 2009. He scored in his first game, a 3–0 win in the UEFA Europa League. He made his league debut soon after.
In July 2010, at just 21 years old, he became the youngest captain in Metalurh Donetsk history. He played 37 league games for Metalurh, scoring 12 goals. In total, he scored 16 goals in 45 matches for the club.
On August 30, 2010, Mkhitaryan moved to Shakhtar Donetsk for $7.5 million. He made his debut on September 10, 2010. His home debut was a 4–1 win where he scored his first goal for Shakhtar. He also played in the Champions League for the first time.
His first season with Shakhtar was very successful. They won the league, the Ukrainian Cup, and the Super Cup. In the 2011–12 season, Shakhtar won the league and cup again. Mkhitaryan scored 11 goals in 37 matches. Fans voted him the best player for Shakhtar in that season.
In the 2012–13 season, Mkhitaryan scored two goals and made two assists in the first game. He scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 win, reaching 10 goals in just six games. On September 19, 2012, he scored two goals in a Champions League match against Nordsjælland. This was his first time scoring in the Champions League.
On May 11, 2013, Mkhitaryan scored his 23rd and 24th league goals. These goals set a new Ukrainian Premier League record for most goals in a season. He finished the season with 25 league goals.
German Adventure: Borussia Dortmund
On July 8, 2013, Borussia Dortmund signed Mkhitaryan for €27.5 million. This made him the most expensive player in the club's history. In his first friendly game for Dortmund, he scored a goal and assisted another.
Mkhitaryan made his Bundesliga debut on August 18, 2013. He scored his first two Bundesliga goals in a 2–1 win. His first Champions League goal for Dortmund was against Arsenal. He finished his first season with nine goals and ten assists in the Bundesliga. His team finished second in the league and cup.
Mkhitaryan won his first trophy with Dortmund, the 2014 DFL-Supercup, scoring the first goal in a 2–0 win over Bayern Munich. In August 2015, he scored a hat-trick in a Europa League qualifying match. He also scored two goals in the first league game of the season.
At the end of the 2015–16 season, Mkhitaryan was voted the Bundesliga Players' Player of the Season. He led the league with 15 assists.
Playing in England: Manchester United and Arsenal
On July 6, 2016, Mkhitaryan joined Manchester United for about £30 million. He became the first Armenian to play for a Premier League club. He made his debut in a friendly match on July 15, 2016. His competitive debut was in the 2016 FA Community Shield.
He became the first Armenian to play in the Premier League on August 14, 2016. On December 8, 2016, Mkhitaryan scored his first goal for Manchester United in the Europa League. Three days later, he scored his first Premier League goal against Tottenham Hotspur. He scored a famous "scorpion kick" goal against Sunderland, which he called his best goal ever.
Mkhitaryan scored in the 2017 Europa League final to help Manchester United win 2–0. This made him the first Armenian to win a major European trophy. In the first three games of the 2017–18 Premier League season, he made five assists.
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On January 22, 2018, Mkhitaryan signed with Arsenal. He made his first start for Arsenal on February 3, 2018, getting three assists in a 5–1 win. He scored against his former team, Manchester United, but chose not to celebrate.
In the 2018–19 season, he scored two goals against Southampton. Mkhitaryan did not travel with Arsenal for the 2019 UEFA Europa League final in Azerbaijan due to safety concerns related to international relations.
Italian Journey: Roma and Inter Milan
On September 2, 2019, Mkhitaryan joined Italian club A.S. Roma on a season-long loan. He scored on his debut for Roma in a 4–2 win. He later signed a permanent deal with Roma on August 31, 2020.
On November 5, 2020, Mkhitaryan scored Roma's fastest-ever goal in the UEFA Europa League, after just 57 seconds. Three days later, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Genoa. On May 25, 2022, Mkhitaryan helped Roma win the Conference League final 1–0.
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Mkhitaryan signed for Inter Milan on July 2, 2022. On October 26, he scored his first Champions League goal with Inter. This helped his club qualify for the knockout stage. On May 10, 2023, he scored in a 2–0 win against rivals Milan in the Champions League semifinals. On June 10, 2023, he became the first Armenian to play in the UEFA Champions League final.
Mkhitaryan scored two goals against AC Milan in a 5–1 derby win on September 16, 2023. He extended his contract with Inter Milan until June 30, 2026. In the 2023–24 season, he won his first Serie A title with the club. He also played a key role in Inter Milan reaching their second Champions League final in two years in the 2024–25 season.
International Career
Mkhitaryan played his first game for the Armenia national team on January 14, 2007. He scored six goals for Armenia in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying group. This made him the top goalscorer in that group.
On September 10, 2013, Mkhitaryan captained his country for the first time. On October 15, he became the top scorer in Armenia's national team history. He scored his 12th goal, passing the previous record of 11 goals.
On May 27, 2014, he scored two goals in a friendly match against the United Arab Emirates. Two years later, he scored Armenia's first international hat-trick in a 7–1 friendly win over Guatemala. In March 2022, Mkhitaryan announced his retirement from international football.
Playing Style
Mkhitaryan is an attacking midfielder. He can also play as a second striker or a winger. He is great at playing in the middle, just behind the main strikers. He often connects with his teammates near the goal.
He is known for moving smartly to pull defenders away, creating space for his teammates. This leads to chances to score goals. People praise his accurate passing, dribbling, creativity, and ball control. He also works very hard on the field. His skill allows him to beat defenders one-on-one. He also has a powerful and accurate shot.
In 2011, coach Tom Jones said Mkhitaryan was "definitely good enough to play in the Premier League." He described him as "very creative" and "extremely hard-working." In 2012, former Scottish player Pat Nevin called his goal-scoring record "phenomenal" for a midfielder. He said Mkhitaryan has "pace, skill, a rocket of a shot."
Personal Life
Mkhitaryan is very good with languages. He speaks eight languages: Armenian, French, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Italian and German. He learned Russian from his grandmother. He learned the other languages while playing football in different countries.
When Mkhitaryan scored goals for Shakhtar, the stadium played "Sabre Dance" by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. This song became very popular because he scored so often.
Marriage and Family
In June 2019, Mkhitaryan married Betty Vardanyan. Their wedding was at a monastery near Venice, Italy. Betty is the granddaughter of Hrant Vardanyan, a famous Armenian businessman. On March 4, 2020, their son, Hamlet Mkhitaryan, was born.
Nicknames
Fans in Armenia call Mkhitaryan Heno, which is short for Henrikh. He likes this informal nickname.
When he joined Borussia Dortmund, some international fans started calling him Micki. At first, Mkhitaryan did not like this. He wanted people to respect his Armenian family name. However, his manager, Jürgen Klopp, gave him the nickname because his last name was long. Mkhitaryan later said it was okay to use it. His Instagram account is named micki_taryan.
Awards and Recognition
In 2012, Mkhitaryan was named an "Honorary Citizen of Yerevan." This was for his great success in football.
Mkhitaryan has visited Artsakh three times for charity. In December 2011, he donated gifts to families of soldiers. He received a medal from the Artsakh Prime Minister. In September 2020, during a conflict, Mkhitaryan asked for international help for Artsakh.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Pyunik | 2006 | Armenian Premier League | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| 2007 | 24 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 28 | 12 | ||||
| 2008 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 9 | ||||
| 2009 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | 16 | 13 | |||||
| Total | 70 | 30 | 11 | 5 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 87 | 35 | ||||
| Metalurh Donetsk | 2009–10 | Ukrainian Premier League | 29 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | 6 | 4 | — | 37 | 14 | ||
| 2010–11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 37 | 12 | 2 | 1 | — | 6 | 4 | — | 45 | 17 | ||||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2010–11 | Ukrainian Premier League | 17 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 27 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 1 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 11 | |||
| 2012–13 | 29 | 25 | 4 | 2 | — | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 29 | |||
| Total | 72 | 38 | 11 | 4 | — | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 44 | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 31 | 9 | 5 | 2 | — | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 13 | |
| 2014–15 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 5 | |||
| 2015–16 | 31 | 11 | 6 | 5 | — | 15 | 7 | — | 52 | 23 | ||||
| Total | 90 | 23 | 17 | 8 | — | 32 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 140 | 41 | |||
| Manchester United | 2016–17 | Premier League | 24 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 11 |
| 2017–18 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 39 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 13 | ||
| Arsenal | 2017–18 | Premier League | 11 | 2 | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | 17 | 3 | |||
| 2018–19 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 38 | 6 | |||
| 2019–20 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 39 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 | — | 59 | 9 | |||
| Roma (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie A | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 27 | 9 | ||
| Roma | 2020–21 | 34 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 11 | 1 | — | 46 | 15 | |||
| 2021–22 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | — | 44 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 87 | 27 | 3 | 1 | — | 27 | 1 | — | 117 | 29 | ||||
| Inter Milan | 2022–23 | Serie A | 31 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 5 | |
| 2023–24 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 53 | 1 | |||
| Total | 99 | 6 | 7 | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 148 | 8 | |||
| Career total | 524 | 149 | 55 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 157 | 26 | 14 | 1 | 765 | 195 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 2 | |
| Total | 95 | 32 | |
Honours and Awards
Pyunik
- Armenian Premier League: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Armenian Cup: 2009
- Armenian Supercup: 2007, 2008
Shakhtar Donetsk
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Ukrainian Cup: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2012
Borussia Dortmund
- DFL-Supercup: 2014
Manchester United
- EFL Cup: 2016–17
- FA Community Shield: 2016
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17
Roma
- UEFA Europa Conference League: 2021–22
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2023–24
- Coppa Italia: 2022–23
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2022, 2023
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23, 2024–25
Individual Awards
- Armenian Footballer of the Year: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024
- Footballer of the Year in Baltic and Commonwealth of Independent States: 2012, 2013
- Ukrainian Premier League Best Player: 2012–13
- Ukrainian Premier League Top Scorer: 2012–13
- Ukrainian Premier League Footballer of the Year: 2012
- Bundesliga Player of the Month: April 2016
- Bundesliga assist leader: 2015–16
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2015–16
- DFB-Pokal top goalscorer: 2015–16
- kicker Bundesliga Players' Player of the Season: 2015–16
- Premier League Goal of the Month: December 2016
- EFL Cup top assist provider: 2016–17
- Manchester United Goal of the Season: 2016–17 (vs Sunderland, 27 December 2016)
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016–17
Orders
- First-Class Medal of Services to the Motherland: 2017
See also
In Spanish: Henrij Mjitarián para niños
