Midfielder of Talyatti's "Akron" Arthur Galoyan gave an interview to the "RB Sport" website before the start of the Russian Premier League season.
In his interview, the 25-year-old Armenian footballer talked about his club "Akron", the Armenian national team, and the psychology of players. He shared his view on joining the Armenian national team, calling it the highest level in his career. Galoyan noted that the Armenian national team could have achieved success at Euro 2024 despite the youth and lack of maturity of the team. He believes in the future of his national team and its chances at the 2026 World Cup.
Galoyan also touched upon the issue of players with dual citizenship, emphasizing that this is common practice, and expressed gratitude to Armenian fans for their support. He highlighted the high potential of Eduard Spertsyan, considering him a possible successor to Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
"Joining the Armenian national team for me personally is the highest level that can be. The goal to regularly join the national team is always there. Looking at Georgia's success at Euro 2024, I often thought that the Armenian national team could also make some noise at the European Championship. Georgia played well with enthusiasm, and Armenia could be in their place. I can even imagine that Armenia could get out of the group. Why not? You always need to believe in your national team.
What did Armenia lack to qualify for Euro 2024? I can't say for sure. The team always starts the qualifying stages well, but something is missing at the end. It's hard to explain. Maybe it's because the team is still young. Maybe they lacked maturity. But there is no definite answer.
Does this team have a chance to play in the 2026 World Cup? There is always faith. And then everything will be shown by the qualifying stage. I always believe in my national team.
Can we say that this generation of the Armenian national team is the strongest in the last 30 years? It's still too early to talk about it, as the team is still forming. Time is needed to make such statements. The team formation process is still ongoing.
How do you feel about the opinion that the current Armenian national team consists of former Russians? I think it's not very appropriate to say so. What does former Russians mean? Those who changed their citizenship are still citizens of Russia. Dual citizenship is common practice. There is nothing wrong with that. It is the choice of everyone. If there are some roots, if you are interested and expected, then why not?
Did Armenian fans accept you normally after changing your citizenship? They warmly accept everyone. It seems to me that fans are just happy that the team is strengthening. Roughly speaking, you can look at the French national team: almost the entire team consists of people from other countries. There is nothing wrong with that. It's just football life.
Eduard Spertsyan is the leader of this team. A very talented guy. For several years he has been performing well in the Russian Premier League and at the national team level. Can he grow into a player of Henrikh Mkhitaryan's caliber? I think yes," said Arthur Galoyan in an interview with "RB Sport".
Galoyan moved to "Akron" in the middle of last season from "Baltika" and helped the club move up to the RPL from the FNL, finishing in second place.
Arthur has played only one match for the Armenian national team — a friendly game against Albania in November 2022.