Manchester United have signed Borussia Dortmund forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Here are seven things to know about the Armenia international.
1. Mkhitaryan comes from a footballing family and speaks seven languages
Mkhitaryan's dad, Hamlet, was a striker in his native Armenia as well as in the second league in France, where he plied his trade for ASOA Valence. He only won two caps for Armenia, but his career and life were cut short by a brain tumour, leading to the family's return to their homeland in 1995 and his death only a year later.
Henrikh's sister, Monika, works at UEFA where she was an assistant for former president Michel Platini, and his mother, Marina Taschyan, is a director at the Armenian FA.
He learned French as kid, picked up English when he was making his first steps in football, can speak Portuguese after a stay in Brazil at the age of 14, and conversed in Russian with his grandmother.
"Armenian is his mother tongue, and he then learnt German in Dortmund," his mother told DFB.de earlier this year, calling her son a "workaholic."
2. He idolised Zinedine Zidane as a kid
Returning to Armenia from France aged seven, Mkhitaryan idolised Zinedine Zidane, watching his performances at the 1998 World Cup over and over again in "Les Yeux Dans Les Bleus" documentary, a movie about the making of the 1998 world champions.
"I often watched that video tape several times a day. I adored Zinedine Zidane,"Mkhitaryan told Spox last year. "Through that video I learnt a lot about being a professional. Not only the things which are important on the pitch, but also the many facets of the pitch. All of that gave me an important impression of professionalism and humbleness."
3. He forced his way out of Shakhtar Donetsk
While the six-time Armenia Footballer of the Year often comes across as a very humble and quiet character, he certainly knows how to get what he wants. He started at Pyunik, before moving to Metalurh Donetsk and then Shakhtar Donetsk, but left the Ukrainian giants in 2013 to join then-Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund by fleeing to Austria and declaring never to return.
That year, Mkhitaryan scored 26 league goals for Shakhtar but wanted to move on. It was not easy as he was owned by multiple parties, who wanted to sell him to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, then a free-spending club in its final days.
Already in Vienna, he hired well-known agent Mino Raiola who negotiated his transfer to Dortmund and has now played a big part in his move to Manchester United.
4. Tuchel made him a better player
He may have been signed by Jurgen Klopp in 2013 for €27.5 million from Shakhtar Donetsk, but he really blossomed under Thomas Tuchel last season scoring 19 goals in 49 games. Indeed, Mkhitaryan registered more goals and assists in only a handful of competitive games than in his last, admittedly dire, season under Klopp. He built up his confidence, and Tuchel made him his key player as Dortmund learnt how to play possession based football.
"I was doubting him," Mkhitaryan told DW. "I was not confident that after a bad season he could make me a high-class player, but he did it." The Armenian showed that if you put trust in him, and click with him on a strategic, tactical level then he will pay you back.
5. He has speed and vision
Mkhitaryan can dictate a game from the wing and his vision and anticipation help to create a host of chances for his teammates. Just like former Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (now at Man City), he topped the Bundesliga's assist table (with 15) last year and uses his speed to get himself into one-on-one situations. Last season nearly 62 percent of his take-ons were successful, compared to De Bruyne's 58 percent in his last year in Germany. He has also trained himself to anticipate the next movements on the pitch by playing chess.
"I play football like chess. You have to think a lot, anticipate," he told Sport Bild in 2013. "And you have to know what your opponent does before you make a move. If you make a mistake, the opponent punishes you and you lose the game."
6. He can play on both the left and right
Naturally right-footed, Mkhitaryan trains constantly with both feet so he is comfortable passing or shooting off either. Last term, he scored six league goals with his left foot and four with the right, adding another one with his head.
This allows coaches to play him right across the midfield, but also gives his opponents a constant headache. Thomas Tuchel largely used him as a right winger, but in his first year with Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp he also excelled on the left. Both wing positions allow him to use his speed and vision, and see him often making penetrating runs from deep.
"The most dangerous zone is the centre, you have to either attack or defend it,"he told DW.
7. He needs to learn how to cope under pressure
In April 2014, everything was set for Dortmund's comeback in the Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid. After a 3-0 loss at the Bernabeu, Dortmund led 2-0 at half-time through a Marco Reus brace, and were pushing for an early third goal in the second half. They played Los Blancos off the park, but Mkhitaryan became the villain that night when he could not find the back of the net. He even missed an open goal when he got behind the defence, and swerved around Iker Casillas.
Mkhitaryan did not recover from that for almost a year and, although he is only 27-years-old, will need to show more mettle when playing at Old Trafford.
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