Varazdat Haroyan: “I ended my career in the Armenian national team only because of the coach”

Former captain of the Armenian national team Varazdat Haroyan, in an interview with Championat.com, spoke about the reasons for ending his career with the national team and shared his opinion on the future of Armenian footballers.

Haroyan noted that his decision was linked to the appointment of Yeghishe Melikyan as head coach of the team:

“I am 33 years old, and I’m not that young to tolerate certain things. I am very grateful to the Armenian national team — it has given me a lot. But I don’t want to work with this coach, because I know it won’t work out, and I don’t even want to try. I ended my career in the national team solely for this reason.”

The footballer emphasized that he is unlikely to return to the team even if the coach changes, although in 15 years he never missed a call-up and always remained loyal to the national team.

According to Haroyan, the new captain of the Armenian team should be Eduard Spertsyan:

“Edik deserves the captain’s armband. He must leave the Russian Premier League and try himself in Europe. I am sure he will become a big star.”

Tigran Barseghyan has been named the new captain of the Armenian team.

Haroyan also spoke about the prospects of other players:

He called Nair Tiknizyan’s move to Red Star Belgrade the right step.

Regarding Edgar Sevikyan, who plays for Ferencváros, Haroyan noted that he should consider going out on loan to gain more playing practice.

As for Ugochukwu Iwu, he stressed that he helps the team and deserves respect.

Speaking about the chances of the national team, Haroyan expressed hope that Armenia will be able to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, emphasizing the importance of unity:

“My dream is for my country to play in a major tournament. We all need to come together and solve problems the way Georgia did.”

Varazdat Haroyan played for the Armenian national team for 15 years, served as captain, scored four goals, and made 92 appearances. Currently, the Armenian footballer plays in the Hungarian league for Kazincbarcika.

Today, September 9, Armenia will play against Ireland in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.