22-year-old midfielder Pavel Gorelov, after transferring to Novorossiysk’s "Chernomorets," gave an interview to the club’s official website. He spoke about his Armenian roots, his experience playing in the Armenian championship, and the possibility of being called up to the Armenian national team.
Pavel is the grandson of "Ararat-73" footballer Norayr Mesropyan. His father’s name is Vartan Mesropyan. Pavel himself often introduces himself as Mesropyan, but his passport surname is Gorelov. The midfielder has previously been called up to Armenia’s U21 national team.
(From an interview on fc-cn.ru)
— How did the Armenian national team reach out to you?
— They probably knew about my grandfather and that I have Armenian roots. I first played for the youth national team, but only in friendly matches. I even scored against Qatar. Later, I played one match for the U21 team, but by that time, I was already at "KAMAZ." To play for the national team, I needed to get an Armenian passport, which would have made me lose my status as a "quota" player. In Chelny, they asked me to put it on hold.
— Have you been invited to the senior Armenian national team?
— Unfortunately, no. I watch all of Armenia's games, and I have a huge desire to join the team.
— What are your memories of the season in Armenia?
— The championship is structured in a way where four teams compete for the title, and the rest are far behind. There’s a huge gap between them. That season, we finished in fifth place, meaning we were the best among the worst.
— Did you live at the team base in Charentsavan?
— There was no base. At first, I lived with my uncle in Yerevan. A bus would take us to the stadium every day—40 minutes there and 40 minutes back. Later, I decided to rent an apartment in Charentsavan.
— Did you play many matches for "Van"?
— I didn’t play in the first game, then I came on for five to ten minutes, but gradually, I earned a spot in the starting lineup. I played in about 70% of the matches.
(Pavel Gorelov played 36 matches for "Van" and scored 3 goals.)
— What language did you use to communicate in the team?
— In the first half of the season, most of the team spoke Russian. The coach was from Ukraine, so all the tactical discussions and communication were in Russian. In the second half of the season, a Venezuelan coach arrived, and the core of the team became Spanish-speaking. That made things more difficult.
— Did you learn Spanish?
— No, I picked up a few words, but I didn’t learn the language. Luckily, there was a guy on the team who knew Spanish—Danil Ankudinov. He’s Russian but has a Kazakhstani passport and lived in Spain. He helped me translate and was a good friend.
— Is the level of the Armenian league higher than Russia’s First League?
— I think the top four financially stable teams that play in European competitions are at the level of the lower half of the Russian Premier League or just below promotion from the First League. "Noah" might even be a solid mid-table team in our Premier League. Armenia has high-quality foreign players—even weaker teams bring in strong African players who cause trouble for defenders.
— Did you have time to explore Armenia’s landmarks during that year?
— Yes. It’s an amazing country. My girlfriend visited me there, and she was fascinated by what she saw. She still often says she wants to go back to Armenia.
— Is your girlfriend from Rostov? How long have you known each other?
— Yes. In April, it will be three years since I met Ksyusha.
— Why didn’t you stay in Armenia?
— My loan ended, and my agent suggested going to "KAMAZ." After the season in Armenia, I played for the U21 national team, then came to Rostov for one day before heading straight to "KAMAZ."
Gorelov has already played four matches for "Chernomorets," and the team is fighting for promotion to the Russian Premier League, currently sitting in 4th place.