“At that moment, I thought I would no longer invite him to the national team”: Melikyan

Armenia national football team head coach Yeghishe Melikyan criticized the practice of exchanging shirts with opponents, especially after lost matches, during an appearance on the Chronicon program on Kentron TV.

The discussion was prompted by a journalist recalling the words of national team captain Eduard Spertsyan, who had previously admitted that he would like to exchange shirts with Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo. Commenting on the situation, the head coach gave an emotional and principled response.

“I really love Spertsyan — he is our captain and an important player for us — but you asked a very precise and correct question. Yes, I have noticed such a tendency. I don’t want to name a specific player, but there was a case when after a defeat I saw a player standing somewhere in a corner waiting to exchange shirts. For me, this is wrong. At that moment, I thought I would no longer invite him to the national team.”

Melikyan emphasized that there must be completely different priorities in the national team, especially after unsuccessful matches.

“I played 30 matches for the national team and exchanged shirts only once — with Míchel Salgado, and even then at another person’s request. I’m not saying that those who do this are wrong, but it cannot be a priority. Let them criticize me and say that I talk too much about values — I will continue to do so. This is the national team, where a player must understand his responsibility. There is no ‘personal’ here; this is not a place for collecting souvenirs or taking selfies. My conversation was not only with Spertsyan, but with the entire team, and I clearly outlined my requirements.”

The head coach’s statement has already sparked active debate among fans and experts, dividing them between those who support the coach’s tough stance and those who consider shirt exchanges part of football culture.

Spertsyan on meeting Ronaldo: “I’ll try to exchange shirts”