Armenia’s newly appointed national team manager, Yeghishe Melikyan, has made it clear that one of his first priorities is to attempt to bring back the country’s most celebrated player, 35-year-old Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who retired from international football in 2022.
“I often communicate with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and we also spoke today. I can’t say exactly what, but I speak with hope. I think I definitely need to go to Italy and sit down with him. For now, I don’t know his exact opinion, but we will have dinner and talk. I will definitely try to bring him back,” said Melikyan during an interview on Armenia’s Public TV.
Melikyan clarified that while he has often criticized the Football Federation of Armenia, pointing out mistakes, he never said he would refuse to coach the national team.
“I didn’t come to work for the federation, I came to work for the national team. My workplace is the locker room,” he stated.
He added that he has not yet had an in-depth discussion with the federation’s leadership but confirmed that such a meeting will take place. For now, his top priority is restoring the team’s atmosphere, raising fighting spirit, and strengthening faith and commitment, requirements he has already set before the players.
In the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers, Armenia suffered a heavy 5-0 home defeat to Portugal. The team bounced back in the second round with an impressive 2-1 home victory over Ireland and will next travel to face Hungary on October 11.
Mkhitaryan’s Retirement From the National Team
Mkhitaryan, who captained Armenia for six years, announced his retirement in March 2022, explaining that he wanted to focus on his club career while reflecting on the honor of representing Armenia: “I wanted to win at every stage of my career, no matter how difficult it was. It was an honor to play for my country for the last 15 years and an even greater honor to be its captain for the last 6 years. After 95 international matches, hard work, passion and unprecedented ups and downs, I have decided to end my international career with the Armenian national team.”
In June 2022, he reaffirmed in an interview that he had no plans to return to the national side.
