Biography
Who is Henrikh Mkhitaryan?
Early life and background
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was born on January 21, 1989, in Yerevan, Armenia. His father, Hamlet Mkhitaryan, was a prominent striker for FC Ararat Yerevan during the 1980s. His mother, Marina Taschyan, works in the Armenian Football Federation, and his sister is employed at UEFA headquarters. During the early 1990s, his family moved to France, where his father played for ASOA Valence before the family returned to Yerevan in 1995. Henrikh joined the youth system of FC Pyunik at the age of six, beginning his lifelong path in professional football.
Growing up, Henrikh watched his father play and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Following his graduation from the Institute of Physical Culture in Armenia, he also studied economics. At age fourteen, he spent time on trials with São Paulo in Brazil alongside other young players before returning to Armenia at the insistence of manager Mihai Stoichiță.
Club career beginnings
Henrikh made his professional debut for FC Pyunik in 2006 at the age of seventeen. During his four seasons with the Pyunik first team, the club won the Armenian Premier League four times consecutively. In his final season with the club, he scored eleven league goals in ten games. His standout performances drew attention, leading to his transfer to Ukrainian Premier League club Metalurh Donetsk in 2009.
At Metalurh Donetsk, he scored on his Europa League debut against FC Partizan Minsk. By July 2010, he was named club captain at the age of twenty-one, becoming the youngest captain in the history of Metalurh Donetsk. He made thirty-seven league appearances for the club and scored twelve league goals before moving on to a new team.
Shakhtar Donetsk and international success
In August 2010, Henrikh transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk. During the 2012-13 season, he set the league goalscoring record and was named the league Footballer of the Year after winning domestic doubles and finding immense success in European competitions. He later played for clubs including Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Arsenal, Roma, and Inter Milan.
Representing his home country, Henrikh was a member of the senior Armenia national team from 2007 until his international retirement in 2022. He became Armenia's all-time top goalscorer with thirty-two goals in ninety-five matches and was named Armenian Footballer of the Year twelve times, including seven consecutive years from 2011 to 2017.
Birthday and age
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was born on January 21, 1989, which makes Henrikh 37 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Henrikh shares the date with 74 other famous people.
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