Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenian : Հենրիխ
Մխիթարյան, [hɛnˈɾiχ məχitʰɑˈɾjɑn] ;
born 21 January 1989) is an Armenian
professional footballer who plays as a
midfielder for German club Borussia
Dortmund and captains the Armenia
national team. Mkhitaryan is Armenia's
all-time top goalscorer, scoring 19 goals
in 58 international matches since his
debut in January 2007, including their
first hat-trick . His previous clubs
include Pyunik Yerevan , where he came
through the youth system, Metalurh
Donetsk , and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mkhitaryan has been chosen Armenian
Footballer of the Year five times (every
year since 2009, except 2010). 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. He
received the award again for 2013.
Mkhitaryan received the nickname Heno
from his fans in Armenia and has
been nicknamed Micki by his Borussia
Dortmund fans.
Style of play
Mkhitaryan is an attacking midfielder
capable of playing second striker as
well. 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 defences
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."
