Henrikh Mkhitaryan: I will never forget my time at Borussia Dortmund

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has said that his time at Borussia Dortmund was very special to him and that he is proud to have played for the club. 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan enjoyed a memorable three year spell at Borussia Dortmund after joining the club from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 for a then club record transfer fee. The attacking midfielder, now at AS Roma, believes that his time with the Black and Yellows was truly special.

"In an interview with Sport1, Mkhitaryan said:“I will never forget that time (in Germany). It was the best time for me as a football player. To this day, I’m grateful to Jürgen Klopp, the club and my former teammates for supporting me. They made me the football player I am today. Those three years were special.”"

Mkhitaryan also added that the famous Yellow Wall at the Signal Iduna Park played an important role in his decision to join Borussia Dortmund, adding that teammates at AS Roma and Armenia still ask him what it’s like to play in front of 80,000+ supporters.

"“In 2012, I played with Donetsk in the Champions League in Dortmund. I was totally hooked after that game and immediately said to Mino Raiola: I want to play here one day!”“It’s a dream for any player to play at Dortmund. The yellow wall is crazy. I enjoyed it every week. To this day, my teammates in Armenia and at Roma ask me what it’s like to play in front of 81000 fans. I’m very proud to be a part of the BVB history.”"

Mkhitaryan scored 41 goals and provided 49 assists in 140 appearances for Borussia Dortmund. His best season with Dortmund was the 2015/16 season, during which he scored 23 goals and provided 32 assists in just 52 appearances across all competitions. The Armenia international’s performances during that season saw him attract the interest of Manchester United.

Mkhitaryan joined Manchester United in 2016 under acrimonious circumstances, and there was even an alleged row between his agent Mino Raiola and the BVB bosses during the negotiations. Following his move, there were claims that he joined the Premier League side for money. But the 32 year old has now rubbished those claims.

"“People said that I only did it for the money. That’s nonsense! I never played football for the money, otherwise I would have gone to Russia or somewhere else. I was happy in Dortmund, but sometimes you have to make tough choices that may only come once in a lifetime, and listen to your heart.”"

After failing to make his mark at Manchester United, Mkhitaryan made the switch to Arsenal before joining Italian side AS Roma in 2019. Mkhitaryan hopes to come back to Borussia Dortmund and witness the Yellow Wall again one day.