Artur Miranyan becomes the sixth Armenian national team player in the Israeli Premier League

On July 23, Armenian national team forward Artur Miranyan signed a contract with Israeli Premier League club Bnei Sakhnin. This move makes him the sixth player in history to represent Armenia's national team and play in the Israeli top flight.

Before him, the following players had played in Israel:

• Yeghia Yavruyan – Played 154 matches for six clubs before 2011. Despite earning only four caps for Armenia, Yavruyan ranks among the top 15 foreign players by appearances in Israeli league history. He also had successful spells in Hungary and Russia.

• Apoula Edel – Goalkeeper who played 59 matches for Hapoel Tel Aviv until 2015. A naturalized Cameroonian, he moved to Armenia at 16 and represented the country at youth and senior levels.

• Artur Petrosyan – Legendary striker of the national team, played 14 games for Maccabi Petah Tikva until 1998.

• Hamlet Mkhitaryan – Midfielder, appeared in 13 matches for Maccabi Herzliya until 1998. Note: He is not the father of Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

• Armen Shahgeldyan – Forward, played 5 matches for Hapoel Petah Tikva in 1998.

Although many footballers of Armenian descent have played in Israel (e.g., Samir Farhud-Yakubyan), only six have represented Armenia’s national team and competed in the league.

Israel becomes the fifth country in Artur Miranyan’s club career after Ukraine, Armenia, North Macedonia, and Romania.