Henrikh Mkhitaryan - One of a Kind: All Three European Finals and a Chance for a New Record
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has already etched his name into European football history. As of now, he is the only footballer in the world to have appeared in the finals of all three UEFA club competitions: the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. This remarkable feat makes the Armenian midfielder truly unique in the history of UEFA tournaments.
Mkhitaryan played his first final in 2017 with English side Manchester United. In that Europa League final against Ajax, he spent 74 minutes on the pitch and scored a goal, becoming one of the heroes of the match.
His second European final came in 2022, when he was playing for Italian club Roma. In the Conference League final against Feyenoord, he started the match but was forced to leave the pitch in the 17th minute due to injury.
In 2023, Mkhitaryan appeared in the final of Europe's premier club competition — the Champions League. His current club, Inter Milan, faced Manchester City. Henrikh came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, thus completing a unique treble — participation in the finals of all three European competitions. Inter lost 0-1.
Tomorrow, this rare record could be matched by Polish player Nicola Zalewski. Playing for Roma, he has already appeared in the Conference League final (2022) and the Europa League final (2023). If he gets on the pitch in tomorrow’s Champions League final, he will become just the second player in history to achieve this feat. However, Zalewski is currently not a regular starter for Inter.
But Mkhitaryan has a chance to achieve another extraordinary milestone. If Inter defeats Paris Saint-Germain in the 2024/25 Champions League final on May 31 at Munich's Allianz Arena, Henrikh will become only the second player in history to win all three European club trophies. The first to do so was Emerson, an Italian of Brazilian descent. However, even Emerson didn’t play in all three finals — unlike Mkhitaryan, who has appeared in every single one.
