Henrikh Mkhitaryan was seven years old when his father died at the age of 33 from a brain tumour.
He still remembers this moment and says that his father motivated him to become a footballer.
His father, Hamlet, was also a footballer and led him to where he is now.
He said:
"He was my drive, so he was my motivation because when I was young he was playing football professionally and I was always dreaming to go with him to the training ground. It was my dream to continue his work and to also be a football player.
"He was 33 years old, I was seven years old at the time so, yes, it is a pity but that’s life. The life continues and I hope he is proud looking at me from the sky so I try to do everything to make him proud.
"I’m sad because I think he could have helped me with his words and his support, but that’s life. I’m trying to do everything with my family members, my friends, who are watching me every day, every game, so they are trying to help me to say what I did wrong and what I did well and I try to improve myself.
"On one side, yes it made me grow up quicker. And on one side no because it is very difficult when you grow up without a father because in the family you don’t have a real man who can give you direction, discipline.
"In one case my mother was my mother and father, so I am thankful to her and I am thankful to all the people who were next to me at the time in a hard moment so the life continues and I am trying to learn something new from the people and getting into football. My mother worked in Armenia Football Federation and my sister, she works for Uefa, so we are a football family.
"I watched many times [footage of him] when I was young but now the football changes a lot so it is not necessary to watch a game [to learn from him]. You can watch just to remember the way he played, to remember that he was judging himself on the pitch but watching the game saying: ‘You can learn something new’ [is not necessary] because now the football has become more faster, more quicker, more stronger, so they’re just memories.
"It’s always [been] my dream to play Premier League. And finally I could fulfil my wish, my dream, and I am very happy to wear this shirt. United’s one of the teams I was supporting when I was a child – I was always proud of the way they were playing and because Manchester United was always a big club – so it’s a dream to play for this club, and first for me as well when I was a child I was dreaming to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world".