Misha Djorkaeff: “The main goal is to develop Armenian football players”

Head coach of the Armenia U19 national team Misha Djorkaeff, in an interview with the official website of the Football Federation of Armenia, spoke about his Armenian roots, plans, and objectives as the team’s manager.

The younger brother of the legendary Youri Djorkaeff took charge of Armenia U19 in June 2025. According to him, his ties with his historical homeland have always been strong:

“My grandmother and grandfather (on my mother’s side) moved to France after the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. My parents were born in Décines, but I was always connected to Armenia. Before my appointment, I came here every two months. I love Armenians, Armenia, and our cuisine — especially khorovats. In the future, I want to move to Yerevan with my family. I accepted the offer to lead U19 because I deeply love my historical homeland.”

In his first months, Djorkaeff held three friendly matches against Georgia and Moldova (U19 and U20), but Armenia lost all games. The coach is convinced defeats should strengthen the players:

“Losses should not break footballers but motivate them. In that Georgian squad there were players from Lille, Southampton, and Sunderland. I tell my players: if you want to compete at that level, you must work on your fitness and mentality every day.”

In his view, the main issue of young Armenian players lies in mentality:

“The most important thing is to eradicate negative thinking. Physical shortcomings are not as serious as psychological ones. My task is to develop players so they can compete in the Armenian Premier League and abroad.”

Currently, the Armenian U19 team is training in Yerevan. On September 5 and 8, they will play two friendlies against Uzbekistan before preparing for the UEFA U19 European Championship qualifiers. In October, Armenia will face Germany, Norway, and Kosovo.