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Armenian in fashion again: the resurgence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan in Rome
With Mourinho he did not get along and Emery suppressed him, but it seems that precisely at Olimpico the Armenian midfielder managed to come back to life with direct involvement in 17 goals.
On Saturday, "Ronaldo of the Jealousy" meets the real Ronaldo with the aim of closing the circle 25 years after the death of his father Hamlet
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Henrich Mahitrian
Rome
Cristiano Ronaldo
Michael Yochin
Friday, 05 February 2021, 19:00
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Hamitrian Hamlet was 32 years old when a malignant tumor was discovered in his brain.
The agile striker who starred in Ararat Yerban's uniform in the Soviet league in the 1980s underwent three complex surgeries, but to no avail - and he passed away within a few months.
His son Henrich was then only seven years old, and the longing made him watch the videotapes non-stop with the father's performance on the lawn.
When Hamlet was alive, Henrich did not really like football because the games and training prevented him from spending quality time with Dad.
After his death, his attitude changed 180 degrees, and he decided to follow suit.
He took the first steps in an academy that bore the name of Hamlet Mahitrian.
The family disaster taught Henrich that life can be short, and should be enjoyed, without regrets and without hesitation.
One has to go with the heart and make the most of the opportunities.
He is now 32 years old himself, and thoughts of Hamlet's tragic fate cannot be ignored.
Henrich's fate is completely different - and he is currently experiencing one of the best periods of his career.
The current season in Rome is spectacular on every scale.
He leads the team's conquerors ranking from a link position with nine balls in the net, and at the same time is ranked as the cooking king of the entire Italian league with eight assists.
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To the full article
Direct involvement in 17 goals.
Mahitrian celebrates (Photo: AP, Alessandra Tarantino)
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In total, he is thus directly involved in 17 goals in 19 games, and only Cristiano Ronaldo is ahead of him in boot country.
Not for nothing did one commentator on Rome radio claim: "Mkhitaryan is our Ronaldo", while former striker Roberto Prozzo declared: "It is hard to believe that Arsenal have given up on such a star."
This question was even more amusing about a month ago, when the midfielder contributed more league goals than all the Arsenal players in the aggregate.
Since then, the situation in North London has improved slightly, but that does not change the overall picture.
Giallorossi fans are dying for him, and coach Paulo Fonseca is also in love with his playmaker: "Henrich is one of the smartest players I've seen. His ability to spot free spaces and take advantage of them is tremendous."
Indeed, Mekhitaryan's intelligence, which at the time considered a lawyer's career, was very high, and it was easy to see this even during his wonderful tenures at Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund.
Its rapid adaptation in Italy stems in part from the fact that it is a very multicultural player, who is used to adapting to new cultures.
After all, he spoke six languages before reaching the Eternal City, and also learned Italian at record speed.
He already had command of French and Portuguese.
A little Brazilian, a little French
Why French?
Because even before Henrikh's first birthday, Hamlet took a chance to escape from the Soviet Union and play for the Armenian team in the third division in France.
The boy grew up not far from a million, and lived there until the father's illness forced the family to return to Yerevan.
Why Portuguese?
Because his adventure knew no bounds, and at the age of 13 he traveled with two friends to study at the Academy of Sao Paulo.
The Brazilian club added to each Armenian a slightly older local mentor, and the Armenian's roommate was the Renaissance - later the undisputed idol of Lazio fans.
That is why Mekhitaryan's integration into Shakhtar's Brazilian colony was so easy.
"I felt like I was half Brazilian myself," he said.
He also speaks perfect Russian, and spent much of his youth in Moscow with his grandmother, a Spartak fan.
So he himself loves the red-and-whites, and when his ascent began in the Ukrainian league the Russian club submitted him a contract offer with an empty box in the salary clause.
"Write down what amount you want," the Spartak men told Armani.
"I do not feel like it, because I want to play in Western Europe," the player replied, not regretting for a moment.
Money has never been a major consideration in his decision-making, and Jürgen Klopp made his dream come true in 2013.
At the first meeting, the German coach lifted the knot in the air and said: "I will not take you down until you agree to sign."
Mahitrian agreed.
Ahead of training?
Not at Mourinho (Photo: GettyImages)
Pre-training?
Mourinho will be angry
Another big dream was to play in the Premier League, and even in retrospect - after the adventure at Old Trafford ended in bitter taste - the midfielder stated that he would not give up the signing at Manchester United.
The relationship with Jose Mourinho, he said, ran aground because the player would come to training every day long before the manager.
Mourinho used to be the first in the facility, but Mkhitaryan always preceded him because he liked to prepare for a day of work in peace of mind, perform medical treatments and work alone in the gym.
"I do not actually do that," he explained to the special, but Mourinho did not believe it.
At one point, the tension was too great, and the reprimands for access from the boss were too frequent.
"I did not want to waste my time where they did not want me," said the midfielder, and was happy to move to Arsenal in a deal that sent Alexis Sanchez in the other direction in January 2018. The
Gunners have always been his favorite club in England, thanks to Arsene Wenger who brought many French stars.
The Armenian, who feels quite French on his own, at the time was very attached to the team of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, and ran happily into the arms of the veteran manager.
What a disappointment he was when Wenger left half a year later, and his replacement saw the game in a completely different way.
"With Wenger I played in the right position. Unai Emery has a completely different tactic and a completely different philosophy, and he also put me in a completely different slot. I had to leave to enjoy football again," he claimed.
And to enjoy Rome, he agreed to double his salary.
Love at first sight.
Totti (Photo: Reuters)
Totti had high expectations
It was love at first sight.
Fans greeted him with flowers at the airport, and Francesco Totti gave the blessing of the road: "Henrich is a player who will fit the team."
Edin Dzeko was also enthusiastic about the signing, wishing his new friend success at an amusing time when Armenia dismantled Bosnia 2: 4 in the Euro 2020 qualifiers. "Now do it in Rome too," the striker told an opponent who scored twice and cooked - and he did.
Fonseca gave him a completely free role to express his creativity as he likes, and he showed excellent ability already in his first season with nine goals and five assists in just 22 league games.
The contribution was greater in game management not measured in dry statistics.
This success went a bit under the radar because the Armenian missed several months due to injury, but it was definitely enough for the club to make the loan a full signing - and more as a free agent that Arsenal gave up on him.
This season is already being talked about a lot more, and he is making the Giallorossi's ultimate game that helps to forget a little about the sad fact that local genius Niccolo Zaniolu tore the straps in his knee again.
In his absence, the midfielder is the landlord who manages everything without restrictions, as in the happy days with Thomas Tuchel in Dortmund, without the tactical restrictions imposed on him at Manchester United and Arsenal.
Kind of Ronaldo to the liking of the commentators.
On Saturday, he will be hosted by the real Ronaldo, with Roma ahead of Juventus in the table, and a victory may even raise hopes for the fight for the championship title.
Admires Pirlo, but only as an actor
Here is the place to mention that the old lady expressed great interest in the signing of Mekhitaryan, before he chose Old Trafford.
Yuba's management was very impressed with his performance up close, in the Champions League meetings against Shakhtar in 2012 and against Borussia in 2015.
In those four games, Mahitrian himself was also closely impressed by the Maestro's performance on the other side, and when asked two years ago about the three best players he faced, he replied: "Leo Messi, Xavi and Andrea Pirlo."
So now he is facing coach Pirlo, which is no less exciting.
"It will be a very special game," says the Armenian.
In the second round, Mekhitaryan cooked for Jordan Verto 2-2 against the Zebras.
This time he will be happy to go one step further and achieve his first personal victory over the champion.
In his current form, this is not an impossible task, and then the sky will be the limit for Rome.
May will mark the 25th anniversary of Hamlet's death from Khitrian.
Could it be that his son would then be Italian champion?
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