From Turkish Citizenship to the Armenian Anthem: The Remarkable Story of André Calisir

Former Armenia national team defender André Calisir, who retired from professional football in January 2026, has spoken on numerous occasions about his Armenian and Syriac Christian roots, his parents’ lives in Turkey, and the difficult decision of which national team to represent. Sportaran has brought together his statements from different years and is also publishing the story of personal correspondence with the footballer from November 2017, before he had made his debut for Armenia.

André Calisir (also known as André Chalishir) was born on June 13, 1990, in Stockholm. His mother is of Armenian descent, his father belongs to the Syriac Christian community, and both of his parents grew up in what is now Turkey.

As a young player, the defender represented Sweden at U19 level. His family background also made him eligible to represent Armenia, while his previous Turkish citizenship meant that Turkey was another potential option.

Over the years, Calisir spoke extensively to Swedish journalists about his background, his Armenian grandmother, his relatives from Diyarbakir, and how being invited to the Armenian national team changed his relationship with his family history.

Of particular interest is an archived exchange from 2017: several months before making his debut for Armenia, the footballer personally confirmed his Armenian roots to Sportaran author Vahe Hakobyan, who was an administrator of the AFG football community at the time.

March 31, 2017. Calisir Discussed the Possibility of Representing Turkey and Armenia

In March 2017, Calisir was playing for Jönköpings Södra in the Swedish championship.

In a March 31, 2017 interview with Fotbollskanalen, journalist Jonas Hansson raised the subject of the defender’s international career. However, the interview went unnoticed in Armenia, although the developers of Football Manager apparently took notice (more on that below).

By that point, Calisir had already represented Sweden at youth level but had not yet received a call-up to the senior national team.

The footballer confirmed that he could potentially have represented Turkey, as he had previously held Turkish citizenship. At the same time, he mentioned the possibility of playing for Armenia through his mother’s ancestry.

According to Calisir, the possibility of calling him up had been discussed with representatives of Armenian football, but difficulties arose in preparing the necessary documents.

The process required considerable effort, and at some point, the footballer stopped pursuing the paperwork.

Thus, as early as the spring of 2017, Calisir was openly discussing the possibility of representing Armenia, although he had not yet made a final decision.

It is important to emphasize that the defender was speaking about his potential eligibility to play for Turkey, not claiming that he had received an official invitation from the Turkish Football Federation.

November 10–14, 2017. How I Found André Calisir and Discovered His Armenian Roots

I have a small personal story involving André Calisir that dates back to before his debut for the Armenian national team.

In November 2017, I was an administrator of the AFG football community. We actively followed Armenian footballers around the world and tried to discover players of Armenian descent who were not yet widely known among Armenian fans.

It was around that time that one of our followers drew attention to André Calisir, who was playing for Jönköpings Södra in the Swedish championship. The follower informed me about him, and I contacted the footballer through social media. Fortunately, he replied.

In the football simulation game Football Manager 2018, the defender’s second nationality was listed as Armenian. This information caught my attention, and I decided to contact him personally to find out whether he really had Armenian roots.

On November 10, 2017, I sent Calisir a message on Instagram, introduced myself as an Armenian sports journalist, and directly asked him about his background. I also explained that we followed Armenian footballers around the world and would like to prepare an article about him.

On November 14, at 10:04 p.m., André replied:

“Oh yes My grandmother is Armenien” — confirming that his grandmother was Armenian.

I was delighted by this confirmation and wrote back:

“Wow cool. Waiting you in Armenian National Team” — expressing my hope that we would one day see him playing for Armenia.

At that time, Calisir had not yet represented the senior national team, although, as later became clear from his interviews with Swedish media, the Armenian side had already shown interest in him.

Less than seven months later, on June 4, 2018, Calisir actually made his debut for Armenia in a friendly match against Moldova.

This correspondence has been preserved in my personal archive.

Interestingly, in April 2020, Calisir told Swedish journalist Erik Niva a very similar story about someone who had contacted him through social media to ask about his Armenian background.

We will return to that story later.

Source: Personal Instagram correspondence between Vahe Hakobyan and André Calisir, November 10–14, 2017.

May 8, 2018. “My Parents Grew Up in Turkey, but They Are Not Turkish”

By the spring of 2018, Calisir was playing for IFK Göteborg, having joined the club from Jönköpings Södra. On May 8, Swedish outlet FotbollDirekt reported that the player could receive a call-up to the Armenian national team.

Speaking to journalist Kasper Nordqvist, Calisir confirmed the information and revealed that the head coach of Armenia had personally called him.

The footballer explained that he had previously been in contact with representatives of Armenian football, but the interest had now become more concrete. A separate part of the interview focused on his family background.

Calisir explained that both of his parents had grown up in Turkey but did not consider themselves ethnically Turkish.

His mother has Armenian roots, while his father is of Syriac Christian descent.

Calisir himself admitted that he sometimes used the expression “Christian Turk” because it was easier for people unfamiliar with the history of Christian communities in Turkey to understand his background.

However, the footballer made a clear distinction between his parents’ ethnic identity and the country in which they had grown up.

The journalist also asked whether the defender had given up hope of representing Sweden.

Calisir replied with a smile that Sweden head coach Janne Andersson had not contacted him. He spoke highly of the Swedish national team but acknowledged that representing Armenia would be a very interesting opportunity.

May 11, 2018. A Personal Phone Call from Vardan Minasyan

Three days later, on May 11, 2018, Calisir gave another interview to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, this time speaking to journalist Petra Thorén.

By then, an official invitation to the Armenian national team had already arrived. Calisir revealed that he had personally spoken with national team head coach Vardan Minasyan.

The coach told him that he had been following his performances in the Swedish championship and wanted to invite the defender to the national team. What makes this particularly interesting is that Calisir had never visited Armenia at the time of that conversation.

Nevertheless, the footballer emphasized that he had a strong family connection to the country through his mother. He also mentioned that many of his relatives lived in Sweden and were delighted by the possibility of his call-up.

The prospect of playing alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan was also discussed. Calisir described the Armenian midfielder as a high-level footballer and admitted that sharing the pitch with him would be an exciting experience.

His first call-up, however, came with organizational difficulties.

The national team training camp partially overlapped with IFK Göteborg’s matches in the Swedish championship. The club’s management discussed a compromise with the Armenian side that would allow the defender to join the national team after fulfilling his club commitments.

Eventually, the issue was resolved.

June 4, 2018. Armenia Debut and the First Words of the National Anthem

In May 2018, Calisir joined the Armenian national team for the first time at a training camp in Austria.

Vardan Minasyan’s team was preparing for friendly matches against Malta and Moldova.

On June 4, 2018, Calisir made his debut for Armenia in a match against Moldova, which ended in a 0–0 draw. The defender started the game and played the full 90 minutes.

Later, in an extensive interview with Swedish journalist Erik Niva, he admitted that he had felt nervous ahead of his first appearance for the Armenian national team.

The biggest challenge was the language barrier. Calisir did not speak Armenian and initially did not even know basic football expressions.

He gradually began learning words needed to communicate on the pitch, including commands such as “right” and “left.” One particularly memorable experience for the defender was singing the national anthem.

On the eve of the match, Calisir and a friend watched YouTube videos as he tried to learn the words of the Armenian anthem. By the time he stepped onto the pitch, he was already able to join his teammates in singing Mer Hayrenik (“Our Fatherland”).

September 3, 2018. His First Visit to Armenia

Although Calisir had made his international debut in June, he did not actually visit Armenia until September 2018.

Ahead of the home UEFA Nations League match against Liechtenstein, the footballer shared his impressions with NEWS.am Sport.

The defender said he was very happy to be in Armenia and to be part of the national team. He particularly praised the professional organization of the training process and the friendly atmosphere. According to him, the players constantly helped one another, creating a welcoming environment for newcomers.

For Calisir, this was his first visit to his mother’s ancestral homeland, giving the occasion personal significance beyond football.

He later admitted that it was his trips with the national team that awakened his desire to learn more about his own roots.

January 18, 2020. Pride in Representing Armenia and Family Support

On January 18, 2020, Calisir gave an interview to Armenian outlet NEWS.am Sport.

By that point, the defender had made eight appearances for the national team.

Speaking about representing Armenia, he emphasized that he had gladly accepted the invitation and considered it a great honor to play for the country.

Calisir noted that Armenia could have achieved better results in the Euro 2020 qualifiers and needed to learn from its mistakes in future qualifying campaigns.

The footballer also spoke at length about his family.

He revealed that he had married in June 2019 and was expecting his first child in March 2020.

Calisir described his relatives as his biggest supporters. According to him, his parents were extremely proud that he represented Armenia. His father and brothers had traveled to Yerevan for the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, while his parents had also attended the away game against Finland.

For the footballer’s family, his appearances for Armenia became an opportunity to reconnect with their roots.

March 24, 2020. Family Pride and Comparing Mkhitaryan to Zlatan

On March 24, 2020, Fotbollskanalen published an interview by Sebastian Hodzic Pierson.

The conversation had taken place in February during IFK Göteborg’s training camp.

Calisir once again explained that his first contacts with Armenian football had come while he was playing for Jönköpings Södra. After his move to IFK Göteborg, the national team’s interest grew stronger.

According to the defender, he had initially never imagined that he would one day represent Armenia. However, the opportunity to play for the country of his ancestors turned out to be particularly meaningful to his loved ones. Calisir noted that his family members and relatives felt immense pride when they saw him wearing the Armenian national team jersey.

In the same interview, he spoke in detail about Henrikh Mkhitaryan. In Calisir’s opinion, Mkhitaryan’s status in Armenia could be compared to Zlatan Ibrahimović’s popularity in Sweden. He emphasized that Mkhitaryan stood out not only for his footballing ability but also for his humility.

Despite being the team’s biggest star, the midfielder was always willing to help his teammates and was highly respected. Calisir also recalled how fans would approach Mkhitaryan even during training camps outside Armenia.

Despite the disappointments of the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, Calisir believed that the Armenian team should continue to believe in its chances of reaching a major tournament.

April 9, 2020. Calisir Revealed the Story of a Mysterious Person Who Found Him Through Social Media

One of Calisir’s most interesting interviews was published on April 9, 2020, in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

In an extensive conversation with journalist Erik Niva, the footballer spoke in detail about his background, family, ancestral history, and the first contacts that preceded his arrival in the Armenian national team.

Of particular interest was Calisir’s account of someone who contacted him through social media while he was still playing for Jönköpings Södra.

Here is how the footballer himself described the story in his Aftonbladet interview (translated into English):

“From the very beginning, everything happened completely unexpectedly. I was still playing for Jönköpings Södra when someone first asked me on social media whether it was true that I had Armenian roots. It wasn't the federation that contacted me, but... well, some kind of agent, like a scout. But when I replied, he probably passed the information on to the federation.

I don't know why it took them so long to find me. My surname is actually Turkish, so perhaps people simply assumed I was Turkish. But at the same time, I have a Christian first name, so when it comes to my family history, there is still a lot to figure out.

My Armenian roots come from my mother's side. My grandparents lived in Diyarbakir, which is now in Turkey but is part of Armenian history. Throughout history, relations between Armenia and Turkey have been very complicated — there have been wars and genocides — but nevertheless, many Armenians have always lived there.”

These words are particularly interesting in the context of the correspondence preserved in the personal archive of the Sportaran author.

In November 2017, I, Vahe Hakobyan, did indeed contact Calisir through Instagram and ask him precisely that question — about his Armenian ancestry.

At the time, the footballer was playing for Jönköpings Södra, and the reason I contacted him was the information listed in Football Manager 2018.

Calisir’s response also matches the substance of the story: he confirmed that his grandmother was Armenian.

Armenian Ancestors from Diyarbakir

In the same interview with Erik Niva, Calisir spoke in greater detail about his family history. His Armenian roots come from his mother’s side.

His maternal grandparents lived in Diyarbakir (historically Tigranakert), a city in southeastern present-day Turkey that was historically one of the centers of Armenian life in the region.

Calisir touched upon the difficult history of Armenian-Turkish relations, including wars and the Armenian Genocide.

He explained that his grandmother had retained her Armenian name despite living in Turkey. Calisir’s mother moved to Sweden at the age of ten.

The defender believed that religious circumstances and a desire to live in a more peaceful environment might have been among the reasons for his family’s move. However, he did not claim to know exactly why his relatives had decided to leave Turkey.

Calisir later expressed regret that, as a child, he had not paid enough attention to his grandmother’s stories about her past. At the time, he had not understood how important those memories would become in the future.

Armenian, Syriac Christian, and Turkish Traditions

Calisir admitted that throughout his life, he had found it difficult to define his identity in simple terms. He was born and raised in Sweden and grew up in Swedish society, but from childhood he was also aware of his Armenian and Syriac Christian roots.

At the same time, Turkish cultural traditions were present in his family. His mother, for example, often prepared Turkish dishes.

As a result, Turkish culture was also part of his upbringing, even though neither of his parents was ethnically Turkish. Calisir explained that he sometimes struggled to understand the distinctions between Assyrian, Syriac Christian, and Aramean identities.

His family approached this naturally and never demanded that he choose just one culture. Over time, the footballer came to understand that his background could not be reduced to a single nationality.

The description he felt most comfortable with was one that combined his Syriac Christian and Armenian roots with the fact that he was born and raised in Sweden.

Why Calisir Ultimately Chose the Armenian National Team

In his conversation with Erik Niva, the defender explained the sporting considerations behind his decision in detail. Initially, he had thought about his prospects of playing for Sweden’s senior national team.

However, by 2018, he was already 27 years old, and competition for places in the Swedish national team remained extremely strong. Calisir therefore began taking the possibility of representing Armenia more seriously.

The reaction of his family played a decisive role. When he told his loved ones about the official invitation, his relatives received the news with tremendous excitement.

The footballer realized just how much this opportunity meant to his parents and other family members. He wanted to give them those emotions and the chance to see one of their own wearing the Armenian national team jersey.

As a result, accepting Armenia’s invitation became a natural decision for him.

His First Visit to Yerevan and Discovering His Ancestral Homeland

In September 2018, Calisir visited Armenia for the first time.

He admitted that the trip became an important stage in discovering his own family history. Before joining the national team, his Armenian roots had not played a central role in his everyday life.

But after receiving the invitation, he began reading historical materials, asking relatives questions, and gradually learning more about his family’s origins.

During training camps, his teammates showed him around Yerevan and told him about life in the country. The footballer noticed the development of the capital and the changes taking place in society.

He was particularly struck by the atmosphere of 2018, when Armenia was experiencing the aftermath of the Velvet Revolution. Calisir had the impression that the country was filled with expectations of change and hope for a better future.

Impressions of Armenian Fans

Another distinctive aspect of representing Armenia was the passionate support of its fans. Calisir admitted that he had never previously experienced such a level of patriotism surrounding a national team.

He recalled how supporters would sometimes come to the airport with drums and pyrotechnics to send the players off before away matches.

Even when around ten thousand spectators attended home games, the atmosphere made it feel as though the crowd was much larger.

In the defender’s opinion, the national team holds special significance for Armenians. Its results are viewed not merely as sporting successes or disappointments but as events that bring people together.

Matches Against Italy: Pride and a Painful Defeat

In his interview with Niva, Calisir recalled the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, particularly the matches against Italy.

The home match on September 5, 2019, was an especially emotional occasion for him. Eight of his relatives traveled from Sweden to Yerevan to attend the game.

The stadium had a special atmosphere, and interest in the match was so great that the players were trying to find additional tickets for their loved ones.

Although Armenia lost 3–1 to Italy, the opportunity to play against one of Europe’s strongest national teams became an important memory for Calisir.

The 9–1 away defeat to Italy left him with completely different emotions. The footballer admitted that such results were particularly painful when you understood just how much the national team meant to an entire country.

The Most Personal Story: The Grandmother Who Never Saw Him Wearing Armenia’s Jersey

One of the most emotional parts of the interview was Calisir’s story about his grandmother. The footballer admitted that he had been very close to her.

However, as a child, he had not understood how important it was to ask older relatives about their lives, origins, and family history.

Only when he grew older and began representing Armenia did Calisir feel the desire to explore his roots more deeply. By then, his grandmother had already passed away.

He regretted that he had never had the chance to ask her so many questions. Calisir believed that his grandmother would have been extremely happy to see him playing for the Armenian national team.

The footballer also recalled that almost every time he traveled to Armenia, at least one of his relatives tried to accompany him.

For his family, these trips were an opportunity not only to support André but also to discover their ancestral homeland. That is why Calisir saw representing Armenia as something much greater than a football career. It helped him understand his own family better and connect the different parts of its history.

January 19, 2026. Retirement and a Special Sense of Pride in Armenia

On January 19, 2026, Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen published an interview with Calisir about his retirement from professional football.

The defender was 35 years old at the time. After a difficult period marked by injuries, he decided to bring his professional playing career to an end.

Calisir revealed that he had undergone knee surgery at the end of 2024 and subsequently suffered further injuries.

During his recovery, he sustained a calf muscle injury, followed by a stress fracture in his foot that was complicated by problems with the healing process.

The footballer acknowledged that his body could no longer cope with the demands of playing at his previous level.

Throughout his professional career, Calisir played in Sweden, Greece, and Denmark. He represented Djurgårdens IF, Jönköpings Södra, IFK Göteborg, Greek club Apollon Smyrnis, Danish side Silkeborg, and IF Brommapojkarna.

Among his club achievements, the defender highlighted winning the Swedish Cup with IFK Göteborg and finishing third in the Danish championship with Silkeborg.

However, the Armenian national team held a special place in his memories.

Calisir emphasized that his international career had given him the opportunity to face some of Europe’s leading national teams, including Italy and Germany. Playing in front of Armenian supporters was equally important to him.

He once again spoke about his family’s pride in his involvement with the national team. According to the footballer, being able to share those emotions with his loved ones was one of the greatest experiences of his entire career.

In total, André Calisir made 34 appearances for the Armenian national team.

After retiring as a player, he continued working in football, taking up a position as national teams coordinator at the Swedish Football Association.

Calisir said he was happy to remain involved in the sport and now contribute to the development of Swedish football.

From Discovering His Armenian Roots to 34 International Appearances

Over the almost ten years between the first public discussions about potentially representing Armenia and the end of his playing career, André Calisir’s relationship with the country changed significantly.

In 2017, he viewed the Armenian national team primarily as one of several possible options for his international career.

He had previously held Turkish citizenship, had grown up in Sweden, and had never visited Armenia. However, his Armenian ancestry had never been a secret to him.

This is confirmed not only by his interviews with Swedish journalists but also by my personal correspondence with him in November 2017.

Even then, Calisir openly spoke about his Armenian grandmother — long before his official debut.

Just a few months later, he accepted Vardan Minasyan’s invitation, and over the following years, he gradually began discovering the country, culture, and history of his ancestors.

In April 2020, Calisir himself told a Swedish journalist about someone who had found him through social media and asked about his Armenian roots.

For Calisir, the Armenian national team became much more than just a football team. It gave him the opportunity to visit his mother’s ancestral homeland, discover Armenian culture, learn more about his family history, and share unforgettable emotions with his loved ones.

Ultimately, a footballer born in Sweden, raised among several cultures, and carrying a Turkish surname became an Armenian international — and ended his career describing that experience as one of the most valuable chapters of his life.

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Author: Vahe Hakobyan, Sportaran

This article is based on André Calisir’s interviews with Fotbollskanalen, FotbollDirekt, Aftonbladet, and NEWS.am Sport, as well as the author’s personal Instagram correspondence with the footballer from November 10–14, 2017.