Lukas Zelarayan and the Armenian national team: the end of an era or a pause? A look back at the most important moments

Lucas Zelarayán was not included in Armenia’s squad for the November World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Hungary and Portugal. Earlier, there had already been rumors that this qualifying cycle might be the last for the 33-year-old attacking midfielder with the national team. And now, after he has missed another call-up, it feels like Lucas’s chapter with Armenia may be nearing its conclusion.

However, nothing has been officially confirmed — neither from the player nor from the Football Federation of Armenia.

Still, the circumstances speak for themselves. Zelarayán is now 33, and at the start of 2025 he returned to his hometown club Belgrano in Argentina to be closer to his family and finish his career in a more calm and comfortable environment. Lucas’s son has been diagnosed with autism and requires constant attention, and the flights for every international break have become increasingly challenging. Because of this, Zelarayán already skipped national team call-ups in March and June — officially due to family reasons.

If Armenia does not finish second in Group F and qualify for the playoffs, the next official match for the national team will only take place in September 2026. By then Lucas will be 34, and regular travel from Argentina would be even harder. So expecting him to continue into the next cycle is, realistically, unlikely.

Of course, there is another — almost miraculous — scenario: Armenia beats Hungary and Portugal, finishes second, reaches the playoffs, and Zelarayán returns in spring. And from there, maybe even the World Cup. But at this point, that feels more like a hypothesis than a real possibility.

A Late Debut, but a Bright Impact

Zelarayán made his debut for Armenia in October 2021 at the age of 29. At that time, he was playing in MLS for Columbus Crew and performing at a very high level. His call-up was a major event for Armenian fans.

It feels like it was not that long ago, but he still managed to play with a whole generation of Armenian players: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, David Yurchenko, Hrayr Mkoyan — and even Erik Vardanyan, who now works in the front office at Urartu.

In total, Zelarayán has played 26 matches for Armenia, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists.

Already in his debut match — against Iceland — “El Chino” provided the assist for a 1–1 draw. Later came losses to Romania, North Macedonia and Germany. After the 1–4 defeat to Germany, Mkhitaryan retired from the national team, and Zelarayán was expected to become the new creative engine under Joaquín Caparrós. But an injury sidelined Lucas for almost a year.

In 2023, he moved to Saudi Arabia — and arrived for national team camps fresh and full of energy. That was followed by his brightest stretch: a brace and an assist in the legendary 4–2 win over Wales, a brilliant performance away against Türkiye (1–1), and decisive contributions in matches against Latvia and in the second match against Wales (1–1). At that time, he was the star of Petrakov’s team.

In the Nations League the results worsened, but Zelarayán continued to influence the game: a goal against Latvia (4–1), a free-kick goal and involvement in the second goal against the Faroe Islands (2–2), and a wonderful assist to Spertsyan in the final match against Latvia (2–1) in November 2024.

The Final Stretch and Decline

He began 2025 as a Belgrano player, and it became clear that his peak years with the national team were behind him. Traveling from Argentina is not like traveling from Saudi Arabia. Zelarayán missed the Nations League playoff matches against Georgia (heavy defeats), and did not join for the summer friendlies. As a result, he has never played under head coach John van’t Schip, even though the 4-2-3-1 formation would have suited him perfectly.

Still, he returned for the 2026 qualifiers: Portugal (0–5), Ireland (2–1), Hungary (0–2), and Ireland (0–1). Without the same spark as before — but he played an important role in the win over Ireland.

How We Will Remember Lucas Zelarayán

• beautiful and meaningful goals
• precise and elegant passes
• long-range shots that seemed to come from another dimension
• a technique you could watch again and again

Thank you, El Chino. Good luck at Belgrano.

But the Story May Continue

On the horizon, there is a new name: Gonzalo Zelarayán, Lucas’s 21-year-old nephew. He is already appearing for Belgrano’s first team and was called up to Armenia’s U21 squad, but missed games due to injury. In style, he is faster and more vertical, closer to Artur Serobyan, but with Argentine flair.

If Gonzalo chooses to move to Europe, the path to Armenia’s senior national team will be open for him.

And there is even another Zelarayán in Argentina who has expressed interest in representing Armenia — a defender, unrelated to Lucas.

Lucas Zelarayán’s story with Armenia is one of talent, dedication, and respect. And if it truly has come to an end — it was a beautiful journey.